Gates of Vienna News Feed 4/20/2022

The U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. was briefly evacuated today after an aircraft was sighted that posed a “probable threat”. However, it turned out that the dangerous plane was carrying members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, who then parachuted into Nationals Park prior to the start of a baseball game. No congressbeings were injured during the alarming incident.

In other news, more than 35,000 people have signed a petition demanding that a law be enacted that bans the burning of the Koran in Sweden.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, Fjordman, Insubria, JW, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, 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
» European Car Sales Plunge 20% in March: Shortages, Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Blamed
» Germany Facing Price Hikes for a Decade, Warns Top Economist
» Global Food Crisis: IMF Warns of Unrest Amid Food Supply Shortages
» Inflation Now ‘A Clear and Present Danger’ With All Three Baltic States Set for Double-Digit Price Growth in 2022
» New Zealand Inflation Accelerates to Fastest in 32 Years
» Polish and European Inflation Caused by Geopolitics, Says Polish Expert
 
USA
» Alec Baldwin: Rust Film Producers Were Indifferent to Gun Safety — Report
» Biden Embraces Critical Race Theory in Federal Agency Overhaul
» Black Hole: CNN Admits US “Doesn’t Really Know” What Happens to Weapons Sent to Ukraine
» Dartmouth College Caught in Lie After Cancelling Andy Ngo Event
» DOJ Appeals Ruling After CDC Says Masks ‘Necessary’ On Public Transport
» ‘It’s About God’: After-School Satanic Club Voted Down by School Board
» Justice Sotomayor Argues People Familiar With FBI Crime Stats Should be Banned From Capital Case Juries
» Los Angeles Gascon Recall Organizers Optimistic as More Signatures Keep Coming in
» Man Eyed in Slaying of Queens Mom Orsolya Gaal Was Romantically Involved With Victim: Report
» Marxist Elected to Head American Library Association
» Mastodon Finally Gets an Android App
» Minneapolis Residents’ Lawsuit Demanding Reversal of Defund Police Policy Expedited by Supreme Court
» New Mexico Hits ‘Rust’ Film Production Company With Maximum Fine for Firearms Safety Failures
» Newly Discovered ‘Micronovae’ Shoot Out of the Magnetic Poles of Cannibalistic Stars
» Parachute Demo at Nats Park Causes Brief Capitol Evacuation
» Police Say Murder Suspect Streamed Gruesome Killing Via Instagram Live
» Portland Medical Assistant Advocates for Violence, Far-Left Domestic Terrorism
» Ukraine’s Flag Projected Onto Russian UN Ambassador’s NYC Townhouse in Protest
» University of Texas at Arlington Government Leaders Impeached Over Online Comments
» Video: Virtually No One Shows Up to Hear Biden Claim He Was the ‘Poorest Man in Congress’
» Watch: Johnny Depp Testifies That Ex-Wife Amber Heard Severed His Finger With Vodka Bottle
» Young Hispanic Woman Attacked in Boston by Large Group of Black Teens for Being ‘White B*tch With Braids’
 
Canada
» BJ Dichter Explains Where the Freedom Convoy Money Went
» Poll Shows Pierre Poilievre Favoured to Win Conservative Party Leadership Race
» Quebec Judge Bans Father From Taking Son to Protests Against COVID-19 Health Orders
» Tenured Canadian Professor Fired After Saying BLM ‘Destroyed’ Her University
» Toronto’s Mayor Gets COVID, Even Though He’s Fully Vaxxed (And Coerced Others to Get Jabbed Too)
» Trudeau Liberals Spent $34k on Limos and Chauffeurs at Glasgow UN Conference
» Union Leader Files Petition to Protect Air Canada Workers From Federal Vaxx Mandates
 
Europe and the EU
» As Churches Continue to Close, France Opens Massive Mosque in Toulouse to Accommodate 4,000 Worshippers
» Finland, Estonia Eye Floating LNG Terminal to Ensure Supply
» France: Cafe Owners Beaten by Mob of ‘Street Kids’
» France: No Imminent Ban on Headscarves With a Le Pen Victory, Her Spokesperson Claims
» French Presidential Election: Macron and Le Pen Prepare for Grudge Match Debate as Polling Remains Tight
» Germany: Berlin Senate Tries to Hush Dramatic Increase in Heart Complaints and Strokes in 2021
» German Wildlife Park Renames ‘Putin’ The Boar
» German Media Falsely Claims Muslim Riots in Sweden Were “Right Wing Demos”
» Hungary’s Second Wave of Bomb Threats Empties Most Budapest Shopping Malls
» Islamist Riots Rock Sweden as Police Vehicles Burned, 26 Officers Injured Over Easter Weekend
» Italy: Teen Gang Attacks Man Trying to Get Kids’ Easter Eggs Back
» Italy: Predator Priest Returns to Jail
» Italy: Jews Protest Cartoon With Hooked-Nose Zelensky
» Lithuania Protests Russian Aggression by Banning Display of Letter ‘Z’
» National Police Chief on Riots in Sweden: ‘They Tried to Kill Police’
» Russian F1 Driver’s Sardinian Property Seized
» Spain to Scrap Indoor Masking 700 Days After Policy Was First Implemented
» Sweden: Over 35,000 Sign Petition Demanding Ban on Burning Qu’ran After Days of Riots
» UK Judge Formally Approves Julian Assange’s Extradition to the US
» UK: BBC Lauds Implantable Microchip “Wallet”
» UK: Wimbledon Bans Russian Players From Competing in Tournament
 
Middle East
» Biden’s Saudi Arabia Embraces China; Will They Topple the Dollar?
 
Russia
» GitHub is Banning Accounts of Russians Who Used to Work at Sanctioned Companies
» Latest News in the Russia-Ukraine War
» Russia Pressures Mariupol as it Focuses on Ukraine’s East
 
Far East
» Chinese Social Media Figure Wang Sicong is Banned From Weibo for Questioning COVID Policy
» YouTube Shuts Down Channel of Hong Kong Leadership Candidate John Lee
 
Immigration
» 26 States Create Strike Force to Secure Southern Border
» Belgium: ‘I Only Met Their Needs’ — Yemeni Migrant is Convicted for Raping Two Dutch Students During Party Celebrating His Refugee Status
» Cyprus to Install Electronic Surveillance System to Halt Illegal Migrant Crossings
» Hungary Accepted Thousands of Ukrainian Refugees During Easter
» Italy: Ukrainian Refugees Allegedly Exploited in Counterfeit Cigarette Factory
» More Than 2,100 Migrants Have Crossed the English Channel in 58 Small Boats This Month Alone, Home Office Figures Reveal — as a Total of 263 Were Intercepted Yesterday
» Pope Francis Thanks Poland for Welcoming Ukrainian Refugees
 
Culture Wars
» Spotify Reserves the Right to Limit Reach of “Misinformation”
» UK: ‘Family Sex Show’ Aimed at Kids Cancelled After Backlash
 
General
» Human Rights Declined During the COVID-19 Pandemic, In Countries From Angola to the US to New Zealand
 

European Car Sales Plunge 20% in March: Shortages, Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Blamed

Registrations of new cars were down 20.5 per cent in March over the previous year, a historic fall the European car manufacturing industry has blamed on “ongoing supply chain disruptions, further exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”.

Europe’s car manufacturers, already trying to recover from historic collapses in orders during the Coronavirus period, have seen another collapse in new car sales. The figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) record the number of ‘new passenger car registrations, which is to say vehicles that have been bought and then legally put on the road in that period.

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

Germany Facing Price Hikes for a Decade, Warns Top Economist

A leading economist has warned that the price hikes facing German citizens will likely persist for up to a decade as the country is facing a potential recession due to rampant inflation.

Price increases caused by inflation have been hitting the German economy, among others globally, prior to the war in Ukraine due in large part to governmental decisions during the Chinese coronavirus crisis, such as government spending and lockdown policy.

Germany, which is heavily reliant on Russia to meet its energy demands, has seen its inflation rate hit the highest level since the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

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

Global Food Crisis: IMF Warns of Unrest Amid Food Supply Shortages

The IMF has become the most recent global body to release a warning regarding potentially forthcoming global food shortages, saying that vulnerable nations are at risk of civil unrest amid supply issues.

Civil unrest linked to sky-high food prices is on the cards for poorer countries, the IMF has warned amid fears that the world could be heading into a global food crisis as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

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

Inflation Now ‘A Clear and Present Danger’ With All Three Baltic States Set for Double-Digit Price Growth in 2022

Continued strong wage growth in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will only partially offset rising consumer prices.

The full scale of the damage to the global economy brought about by Russia’s war on Ukraine was laid bare on April 19 with the publication of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest World Economic Outlook.

Global economic growth this year is now forecast to be just 3.6 per cent — a full percentage point lower than predicted by the IMF in January — but even the revised projection could prove to be optimistic if the war spreads beyond Ukraine, if economic sanctions on Russia extend to include energy supplies, if worse variants of Covid-19 lead to further lockdowns or if China’s downturn becomes prolonged.

For a variety of reasons, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia is particularly vulnerable to the economic impact of the war in Ukraine.

“Eastern Europe and Central Asia have large direct trade and remittance links with Russia and are expected to suffer. The displacement of about five million Ukrainian people to neighbouring countries, especially Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary, adds to economic pressures in the region,” according to the IMF’s economic counsellor and director of research Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas.

For Ukraine itself, the IMF says that while precise measures of the damage to the economy are impossible to obtain, the war will cause a very severe contraction, of 35 per cent.

“Even if the war were to end soon, the loss of life, destruction of physical capital, and flight of citizens will severely impede economic activity for many years to come,” the IMF claims.

Richard Grieveson, deputy director of the Vienna Institute of International Economic Studies (wiiw) says that the Ukrainian economy will likely contract “by a third to a half”, suggesting that the IMF’s forecast is at the lower end of possible outcomes.

Inflation

Then there is inflation, already a problem for many countries as high food and fuel prices begin to bite. The war in Ukraine has amplified economic forces already shaping the global recovery from the pandemic, increased commodity prices and intensified supply disruptions, adding to inflation.

The most vulnerable countries in Central and Eastern Europe are the three Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — all expected to see double-digit inflation this year as a result of higher oil and natural gas prices.

“Inflation has now become a clear and present danger,” believes Gourinchas.

Lithuania (14 per cent) and Estonia (11 per cent) had already leapt to the top of the euro area’s inflation table in February, according to Eurostat. Inflation was lower in Latvia, but still in the high single digits (8.8 per cent). The IMF forecasts a jump in consumer prices of 13.3 per cent in Lithuania for 2022, 11.9 per cent in Estonia and 10 per cent in Latvia. Among EU member states, only Hungary (10.3 per cent) and Bulgaria (11 per cent) are forecast to see inflation at similar levels.

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

New Zealand Inflation Accelerates to Fastest in 32 Years

(Bloomberg) — New Zealand inflation accelerated in the first quarter to the fastest pace in 32 years, validating the central bank’s decision to raise interest rates by half a percentage point as it pursues an aggressive tightening cycle.

Annual inflation surged to 6.9% in the fourth quarter, government data showed Thursday in Wellington. Economists forecast 7.1% and the miss saw bond yields fall, while the currency dropped as much as 0.6%, erasing about half of Wednesday’s gain.

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

Polish and European Inflation Caused by Geopolitics, Says Polish Expert

Inflation is a major topic in Poland, but without the “Putin effect,” inflation would be 6 to 7 percent lower in the country, according to a Pekao SA Bank analyst.

Statistics Poland (GUS) recently reported that inflation in Poland reached 11 percent in March, year to year, reaching its highest increase in the past 21 years.

The main analyst of the Bank Pekao SA, Ernest Pytlarczyk, is of the opinion that “inflation will be the number one topic” for a longer time because it is not easy to reduce. He said that in his assessment the government’s anti-inflation shields lowered the inflation by 3 percentage points, but “it is a purely mechanical effect.”

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

Alec Baldwin: Rust Film Producers Were Indifferent to Gun Safety — Report

The producers of a film whose cinematographer was accidentally shot dead on set by Alec Baldwin have been fined and strongly criticised by authorities for failing to follow safety guidelines.

The makers of Rust showed “plain indifference to recognised hazards associated with use of firearms on set”, according to the New Mexico Environment Department.

The agency has issued the maximum $136,793 (£105,000) fine to Rust Movie Productions.

Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza injured in October as Baldwin rehearsed with what he believed to be a safe gun.

lec Baldwin has said he said he did not pull the trigger but the revolver fired after he cocked it

The actor, who was also a producer on the film, has previously said he did not pull the trigger and has no idea how a live bullet came to be on the set near Santa Fe.

The report said Rust Movie Productions’ management “knew that firearm safety procedures were not being followed on set and demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety by failing to review work practices and take corrective action”.

The company said it disagreed with the findings and would appeal…

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Biden Embraces Critical Race Theory in Federal Agency Overhaul

The Biden administration plans to overhaul the government, calling it a “total transformation” as described by the Department of Energy, on the principles of critical race theory.

Dubbing the series of moves “equity action plans,” more than 90 federal agencies have announced efforts to that end, which will supposedly address racial inequity in America.

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

Black Hole: CNN Admits US “Doesn’t Really Know” What Happens to Weapons Sent to Ukraine

CNN published an article acknowledging that the White House “doesn’t really know” what happens to the vast quantities of weapons being sent to Ukraine, with one source saying it all “drops into a big black hole.”

Whoops!

The US has sent a total of around $15.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the war began in February.

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

Dartmouth College Caught in Lie After Cancelling Andy Ngo Event

In late January, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire cancelled a College Republicans event featuring journalist Andy Ngo due to violent threats made by Antifa activists and “concerning information” the school claims was provided by the Hanover police.

The school has now informed the College Republicans campus chapter that it must pay $3,600 in security fees for the cancelled event or it will be unable to request further funds from the college.

In response, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) sent a letter to the college demanding that the school rescind the security fee charge and permit the students to request further funding to host future events, as is permitted by political student groups.

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

DOJ Appeals Ruling After CDC Says Masks ‘Necessary’ On Public Transport

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced an appeal to the recent ruling striking down mask mandates after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that masks were still “necessary” in public transportation.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle on Monday brought an end to federal face mask requirements on public transportation, leaving the decision on masking up to individual transportation providers. The DOJ said on Tuesday that the ruling would be appealed depending on guidance from the CDC.

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

‘It’s About God’: After-School Satanic Club Voted Down by School Board

A Pennsylvania parent’s attempt to establish an “After-School Satan Club” was shot down in resounding fashion Tuesday evening.

The discussion was part of the April 19 Northern York County School Board of Education agenda. Samantha Groome, a parent of a Northern York Elementary School student in Dillsburg, was the individual who pushed for the club to be enacted on a probationary basis.

The school board, by an 8-1 margin, voted down the idea. The lone vote in support came on behalf of Thomas Welch. In 2019, the Satanic Temple was recognized as a religion in the U.S. and received tax-exempt status.

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

Justice Sotomayor Argues People Familiar With FBI Crime Stats Should be Banned From Capital Case Juries

Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion arguing that jurors who express familiarity with FBI crime stats should be banned from Capital case juries for “racial bias.”

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

Los Angeles Gascon Recall Organizers Optimistic as More Signatures Keep Coming in

Organizers working to oust Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor said they are on pace to collect the number of signatures required to put a recall question to voters on November’s ballot

As of April 13, the Recall District Attorney George Gascon campaign has collected around 300,000 of the 567,000 signatures it needs, organizers told Fox News.

The group still has 72 days left to reach its threshold.

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

Man Eyed in Slaying of Queens Mom Orsolya Gaal Was Romantically Involved With Victim: Report

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— Detectives probing the murder of Queens mom Orsolya Gaal are eyeing a male suspect they believe was romantically involved with the victim.

Police stopped short of identifying the man as a suspect, and have not said whether it’s believed he’s the person seen in surveillance video dragging a duffle bag containing Gaal’s body away from her Forest Hills home, according to a Daily News report.

Sources told reporters the individual previously had been in her family’s home, had performed work around the house and knew the location of a spare key.

It wasn’t clear how Gaal, 51, met the man or how and when their relationship ended, the New York Post reported.

Sources previously indicated Gaal was in contact with multiple men on the night of her death. They’ve tracked her activities to a show in Manhatetan near Lincoln Center. Then to a bar near her home at about 11 p.m. Authorities believe she returned home from the bar alone.

It’s believed her attacker entered the home through the backdoor at around midnight, then proceeded to stab her approximately 60 times in an attack that started on the first floor and ended in the basement.

Gaal’s husband at the time was out of town looking at colleges with their 17-year-old son. Sources said previously her husband received a chilling text stating “your whole family is next.”…

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Marxist Elected to Head American Library Association

Last week, the American Library Association elected openly socialist Emily Drabinski to serve as the group’s president-elect for 2022-2023.

On Drabinski’s website outlining her platform for her presidential run, she states: “So many of us find ourselves at the ends of our worlds. The consequences of decades of unchecked climate change, class war, white supremacy, and imperialism have led us here. If we want a world that includes public goods like the library, we must organize our collective power and wield it.”

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

Mastodon Finally Gets an Android App

Mastodon, a Twitter alternative with open protocols and a decentralized design, now has an Android app. The platform released its iOS app last year.

Mastodon has a design similar to Twitter and boasts of 4.4 million users. The platform does not collect data, does not have a centralized database, and does not use algorithms in timeline feeds. It is powered by the open-source protocol ActivityPub, which is used by other platforms like Instagram-alternative PixelFed.

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

Minneapolis Residents’ Lawsuit Demanding Reversal of Defund Police Policy Expedited by Supreme Court

A lawsuit brought by a group of Minneapolis residents claiming they have been subjected to “rampant crime” since George Floyd’s death and the rise of the defund police movement prompted rampant staffing shortages will advance to the state Supreme Court and a hearing has been set for June.

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the Upper Midwest Law Center’s (UMLC) petition for review of the Minnesota Court of Appeals’ recent decision that Mayor Jacob Frey has no duty to hire a single police officer despite the city charter’s police-to-population ratio requirement.

It also granted the non-profit, public interest law firm’s motion to expedite the case, scheduling a state Supreme Court hearing on June 9, 2022.

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

New Mexico Hits ‘Rust’ Film Production Company With Maximum Fine for Firearms Safety Failures

On Wednesday, New Mexico workplace safety regulators issued a hefty fine against the film production company behind the ill-fated “Rust” movie for firearms safety failures on the set where actor and producer Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

According to the Associated Press, New Mexico’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau fined Rust Movie Productions $136,793, the maximum possible fine.

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

Newly Discovered ‘Micronovae’ Shoot Out of the Magnetic Poles of Cannibalistic Stars

The cosmic blasts are around a million times less powerful than similar stellar explosions.

Astronomers have detected a never-before-seen type of stellar explosion. The newly discovered cosmic blasts are around a million times less intense than similar explosions and, as a result, the researchers have dubbed the tiny detonations “micronovae.”

The new type of “mini” explosion is a variation of a classical nova, a powerful explosion that can occur in binary star systems — where two stars are locked in a stable orbit around one another. In these systems, the more massive partner can strip stellar material from the skin of its more diminutive mate. The superheated plasma that is stripped from the smaller star, which is mainly made of hydrogen, then forms a shell of gas around the more massive star, which slowly blends into the cannibalistic star. However, sometimes this gas can become so dense and hot that it explodes before being absorbed by the large star. The resulting explosion is very powerful and surrounds the entire surface of the star but does not destroy it. Classical novae appear as intense flashes of light that can be detected here on Earth using advanced telescopes; these flashes can persist for several weeks or even months. (Classical novae should not be confused with supernovas, which occur when stars much more massive than the sun collapse and explode completely.)

However, a team of astronomers recently detected a much shorter and less intense flash from a binary system that only lasted 10 hours before it fizzled out. After this observation, the team detected two more similar flashes using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and discovered evidence of a fourth among previous studies. The astronomers had stumbled upon much smaller versions of classical novae, but they had no way of explaining how or why…

           — Hat tip: Roger [Return to headlines]
 

Parachute Demo at Nats Park Causes Brief Capitol Evacuation

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday evening after police identified an aircraft that they said posed “a probable threat” — but the plane was actually carrying members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, who then parachuted into Nationals Park for a pregame demonstration.

The alert from the U.S. Capitol Police sent congressional staffers fleeing from the Capitol and legislative building around 6:30 p.m.

The incident suggested a stunning communications failure between the military, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Capitol Police, all the more remarkable because of Washington’s focus on improving security since the January 6, 2021, attack on the building by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed the FAA in a statement Wednesday night, saying its “apparent failure to notify Capitol Police of the pre-planned flyover Nationals Stadium is outrageous and inexcusable.” The FAA did not respond to a request for comment…

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Police Say Murder Suspect Streamed Gruesome Killing Via Instagram Live

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) — A suspect has been arrested in connection with a body that was found dead in the parking lot of a Baton Rouge business on Monday, April 18.

The Baton Rouge Police Department said Earl Lee Johnson Jr., 35, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Janice David, 34, whose body was found inside a vehicle.

Police confirmed the woman’s brutal death was broadcast on Instagram Live in a gruesome nearly 15-minute feed. They added Johnson was already in custody when they learned of the video. They noted he admitted to killing the woman.

“Very horrible, very horrible. She didn’t deserve to die like this…no one does,” said Terri Austin, who is the cousin and godmother of David.

The Baton Rouge Police Department walked the suspect arrested in connection with the murder of a woman and gave details of the crime.

“As everyone has seen on Facebook [Instagram] live, it’s a very gruesome, very evil act,” said Sgt. L’Jean McKneely…

           — Hat tip: JW [Return to headlines]
 

Portland Medical Assistant Advocates for Violence, Far-Left Domestic Terrorism

A medical assistant at Oregon Health & Science University, a Portland hospital and medical university, has been revealed to hold violent extremist views and has a history of racist Twitter posts and calls for violence.

In screenshots of Danielle Salinas’ now locked down Twitter account, obtained by The Post Millennial editor-at-large Andy Ngo, Salinas is seen calling for the “extinction” of white people.

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

Ukraine’s Flag Projected Onto Russian UN Ambassador’s NYC Townhouse in Protest

NEW YORK CITY — Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine arrived on the doorstep of the Russian ambassador to the United Nations.

A Ukrainian activist group defiantly bathed his Manhattan townhouse in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag and anti-Vladimir Putin slogans as a protest against Putin’s horrific assault on the Ukrainian people.

“The message is to show that Ukrainians are not afraid and will find any Russian official, even if they are trying to hide,” Arthur Zgurov told Fox News.

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

University of Texas at Arlington Government Leaders Impeached Over Online Comments

The student senate at the University of Texas-Arlington impeached the student body president and chief of staff over social media comments. The two student leaders claimed the impeachment was a retaliation by another student leader who was facing impeachment.

The two students were impeached over allegedly “racist, transphobic, islamophobic, and partisan” comments they made on Discord.

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

Video: Virtually No One Shows Up to Hear Biden Claim He Was the ‘Poorest Man in Congress’

Joe Biden, the sitting President, and apparently the most voted for president in history, struggled to rally a crowd of more than fifty people in New Hampshire Tuesday, where he complained to them that he was “the poorest man in Congress.”

Biden was visiting the Port Authority at Portsmouth Harbor. His record low approval rating was clear to see as only a few tens of people showed up.

There were empty seats.

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

Watch: Johnny Depp Testifies That Ex-Wife Amber Heard Severed His Finger With Vodka Bottle

Actor Johnny Depp described to a court the physical and mental abuse he allegedly experienced at the hands of his ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp resumed his testimony on Wednesday, on what was the second day of hearings in his defamation case against Heard.

Depp discussed an incident in which Heard had thrown a bottle of vodka at him, lacerating his finger. Depp described how the incident transpired.

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

Young Hispanic Woman Attacked in Boston by Large Group of Black Teens for Being ‘White B*tch With Braids’

Five juveniles have been arrested and charged after a large group of black teenagers assaulted a Hispanic woman in the streets of Boston for wearing a “black” hairstyle.

On April 18 just before 7 pm, Boston officers responded to the area of Winter and Washington Street for an in progress assault and battery situation.

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

BJ Dichter Explains Where the Freedom Convoy Money Went

I met up with one of the Freedom Convoy organizers and spokesperson Benjamin Dichter and asked him about what he has been up to since the convoy ended.

We spoke about where the donations went to, and Dichter says that all donations were either given to truckers, returned to the donors and some of it are held in an escrow account pending lawsuits.

Dichter also says he left Canada a few days after the convoy ended and has been in the us and south America since while he says he isn’t scared of returning to Canada and has a ticket to return he is unsure when he will actually be returning to Canada.

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

Poll Shows Pierre Poilievre Favoured to Win Conservative Party Leadership Race

A new poll shows that Canadians see Pierre Poilievre becoming the next leader of the Conservative Party.

As the Conservative leadership race continues to heat up, candidates have been on the move trying to garner support.

A new poll shows that while over half of Canadians don’t know who will prevail, for those who did offer a prediction, Pierre Poilievre was the top bet.

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

Quebec Judge Bans Father From Taking Son to Protests Against COVID-19 Health Orders

A Quebec judge has ruled a mother can have her young son vaccinated against the novel coronavirus without the father’s consent and ordered the father not to take the child to COVID-19 protests.

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

Tenured Canadian Professor Fired After Saying BLM ‘Destroyed’ Her University

A tenured Canadian professor who was fired after criticizing Black Lives Matter (BLM) has a proposed arbitration date set during which she intends to lay out her grievances against her former university.

“All of my grievances are going forward together at this time,” Frances Widdowson said during a recent interview with The College Fix. She confirmed to Fox News Digital that the proposed dates are Jan. 16-27, 2023, but they have not been confirmed.

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

Toronto’s Mayor Gets COVID, Even Though He’s Fully Vaxxed (And Coerced Others to Get Jabbed Too)

On the eve of Good Friday, it was announced that Toronto Mayor John Tory, had contracted COVID. And so it is that he is now resting at his luxury condo as we await his resurrection in the days (or weeks or months) ahead.

Nobody should be happy that Hogtown’s head honcho has COVID and we wish him a full recovery. But ever since the experimental vaccine was unveiled, we were all told to get the jabs and we’d all be A-OK.

In fact the city even promoted vaccinations to children by offering them everything from free Harvey’s hamburgers to ice cream and balloons at Nathan Phillips Square.

Meanwhile, city employees who refused to get jabbed were suspended without pay. During this period, Tory, led by example. He is double-jabbed plus he has the booster shot. And he is (or was) due to get his second booster shot next month.

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

Trudeau Liberals Spent $34k on Limos and Chauffeurs at Glasgow UN Conference

Drivers and luxury transportation cost the Trudeau Liberals nearly $35,000 during a November United Nations Climate Change Conference in Scotland.

The COP26 summit delegation included in its budget $10,000 for PCR testing, and $34,000 to a company called Little’s Chauffeur Drive. In total, the delegation spent $217,106.97 during the summit.

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

Union Leader Files Petition to Protect Air Canada Workers From Federal Vaxx Mandates

The Biden administration recently removed the requirement to wear a mask on airplanes in the United States, but the reality is quite different in Canada.

Canadian citizens are still restricted from boarding airplanes if they do not have a COVID-19 vaccine passport.

Most surprisingly, vaccine passports have been removed in the provinces, but the federal government continues to require it for internal and external travel by rail, air and sea. Aviation employees are now threatened with imminent layoffs without recourse to employment insurance if they aren’t fully vaccinated. This is the case with Air Canada.

Serge Gélinas, the president of an aerospace workers’ union in Quebec, contacted me to inform me about the e-3934 petition he recently submitted to the Canadian Parliament with the endorsement of Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman.

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

As Churches Continue to Close, France Opens Massive Mosque in Toulouse to Accommodate 4,000 Worshippers

The Mirail mosque in Toulouse, which can accommodate 4,000 people, opened on Monday after seven years of work, local media reported.

The mosque itself is so large that it is bigger than all other places of worship in the city, even with all faiths combined together. It is therefore the central place of worship in the city.

The new mosque in Toulouse is larger than the mosque in Empalot, which can accommodate 2,800 faithful, and the mosque in Al Salam.

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

Finland, Estonia Eye Floating LNG Terminal to Ensure Supply

Finland and Estonia say they are jointly planning to rent a floating liquefied natural gas, or LNG, terminal to ensure gas supply in the two countries in efforts to break energy dependence on neighboring Russia

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

France: Cafe Owners Beaten by Mob of ‘Street Kids’

A pair of cafe owners was brutally beaten by a large group of ‘street kids’ in France last week, according to reports.

The disturbing incident unfolded on Friday evening in Saint-Pargoire, a commune in the department of Hérault in the south of France.

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

France: No Imminent Ban on Headscarves With a Le Pen Victory, Her Spokesperson Claims

Sunday, April 24 will be a decisive day for France as Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen face each other again in the second round of the French presidential election, and in the period between the two rounds, the subject of the wearing of headscarves was revived, the Valeurs actuelles news outlet noted.

Marine Le Pen indicated on Saturday that she was not “obtuse” about the issue of wearing headscarves. Her spokesperson, Sébastien Chenu, commented on her remarks on BFM TV on Sunday as he recalled the contours of the ban that the National Rally (RN) wishes to introduce.

“Our goal is not to fight against women. It is to protect and liberate those on whom the headscarf is imposed,” he said, mentioning in particular “social pressure” or “family pressure.”

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

French Presidential Election: Macron and Le Pen Prepare for Grudge Match Debate as Polling Remains Tight

Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron will face each other in a grudge match debate on Wednesday evening as polling between the two suggest the election for the French Presidency is not yet decided.

France is bracing itself for a political grudge match of biblical proportions, with Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron set to face each other in a Wednesday night debate that may end up deciding the political future of France.

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

Germany: Berlin Senate Tries to Hush Dramatic Increase in Heart Complaints and Strokes in 2021

Almost a year and a half after Corona vaccinations began in Germany, significant excess mortality and millions of cases of vaccine side effects can hardly be swept under the carpet — even if the media, politicians and institutions are trying ever more desperately.

The Berlin SPD member of parliament Robert Schaddach inquired in March with a parliamentary question to the Senate’s internal administration about the development of relevant fire brigade incidents that suggest the suspicion of vaccination consequences. Schaddach said: “The aim of the question is to determine the development of the Berlin fire brigade’s deployment figures with regard to heart complaints and strokes over the past four years.”

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

German Wildlife Park Renames ‘Putin’ The Boar

A Bavarian animal park opted to change the name of one of its wild boars, previously named after Russian President Vladimir Putin, holding a ceremony Tuesday complete with a baptism, of sorts, in a popular water stock cube mixture that the animal enjoys.

The Mehlmeisel wildlife park in Bavaria had been mulling a name change for a few weeks.

After an online vote that also saw famous Ukrainian names floated like Zelenskyy and Klitschko, after the boxing brothers Vitali and Wladimir, “Eberhofer” was chosen as an apolitical alternative to the current predicament.

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

German Media Falsely Claims Muslim Riots in Sweden Were “Right Wing Demos”

German media outlets responded to violent riots in Sweden mainly involving Muslim migrants by claiming the unrest occurred as a result of “right-wing demos.”

Yes, really.

Multiple Swedish towns and cities have been hit with violent domestic disorder over the past week, unrest that continued into the Easter weekend as 26 police officers were injured.

Mobs of Muslim migrant youths set police vehicles on fire and hurled stones at police officers, with some shouting, “Allahu Akbar” during the rampage.

As the Associated Press reported, Swedish authorities said the riots specifically targeted police and were the work of “criminal gangs,” a common euphemism for Muslim migrant youths.

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

Hungary’s Second Wave of Bomb Threats Empties Most Budapest Shopping Malls

Simultaneous bomb threats have led to the evacuation of most Budapest shopping malls on Tuesday and several others in regional cities, daily Magyar Hirlap reports.

Buyers were asked through the public announcement system to leave the building in the Árkad and Corvin Plaza malls in Budapest immediately, with similar reports coming from other shopping malls in the Hungarian capital, including Mammut, Arena Plaza, Westend, and MOM Park and Allee. There were also bomb scares in the Debrecen plaza, in Gyor, in Szeged, and Miskolc.

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

Islamist Riots Rock Sweden as Police Vehicles Burned, 26 Officers Injured Over Easter Weekend

Violent riots from members of Sweden’s Muslim community during the Easter weekend have left the country in shock, with seven Swedish cities hit hard, including Stockholm and Malmö. Graphic videos showed protesters setting fire to police vehicles and civilian cars, scattering trash on the streets, and throwing stones at police officers.

Sweden’s Muslim community was protesting against Danish far-right supporters from the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party organized by Rasmus Paludan.

In many of the videos, screams of “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) can be heard as rioters attack police and police vehicles.

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

Italy: Teen Gang Attacks Man Trying to Get Kids’ Easter Eggs Back

Treated in hospital after assault in Crema

(ANSA) — ROME, APR 15 — A teen gang on Friday attacked a man trying to get stolen Easter eggs back from them.

The 48-year-old restaurateur was treated in hospital for kicks and punches to the face and body after going to a park in Crema near Cremona after his nephews came to him in tears saying the gang had stolen the Easter eggs he had just given them.

“There were about 10 of them, all minors, some of foreign origin,” said the victim.

“They assaulted me with punches and kicks, so much so that I had to go to the A&E for treatment”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Predator Priest Returns to Jail

Man forced asylum seekers to perform sex for permits

(ANSA) — ROME, MAR 24 — An Italian predator priest who forced migrants to perform sexual acts in exchange for approving their stay permits as part of an asylum panel in the Sicilian port city of Trapani returned to prison Thursday after the supreme Court of Cassation upheld an appeals court sentence of six years against him.

The cleric, Don Sergio Librizzi, for many years the head of the Trapani branch of Catholic charity Caritas, was first arrested in 2014 and originally sentenced to nine years in jail.

Father Librizzi has two years of his jail term still to serve.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Jews Protest Cartoon With Hooked-Nose Zelensky

Leftist cartoonist Vauro draws fire with anti-war cartoon

(ANSA) — ROME, APR 13 — Rome’s Jewish community have protested a cartoon by leftist cartoonist Vauro showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, with a hooked nose.

The head of the Italian capital’s Jewish community, Ruth Dureghello, said Vauro had a “habit of drawing Jews with a hooked nose in the style of the (Fascist-era) Defence of the Race (publication).” Vauro has denied anti-Semitism saying he is a committed “anti-Nazi communist”.

In his latest cartoon Vauro shows Zelensky alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin with the caption “no to war without Zes and Vlas”, a pun on “no ifs and buts”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Lithuania Protests Russian Aggression by Banning Display of Letter ‘Z’

Lithuania has banned displays of the letter “Z” in a show of support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“Z” has become a well-known symbol of Russian solidarity since the invasion of Ukraine, although the letter is not part of Russia’s Cyrillic alphabet. On Tuesday, Lithuania’s parliament voted to ban public displays of the letter and other pro-Russia symbols, according to Reuters.

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

National Police Chief on Riots in Sweden: ‘They Tried to Kill Police’

After days of extremely violent immigrant riots in several cities in Sweden, National Police Chief Anders Thornberg called a press conference at the beginning of the week which confirmed the very serious situation: “Lethal attacks have been directed at us. This is worse than violent rioting. It has been extreme violence against life and property.”

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

Russian F1 Driver’s Sardinian Property Seized

Ex Hass driver Nikita Mazepin’s complex near Olbia frozen

(ANSA) — ROME, APR 11 — Italian tax police on Monday seized residential property on Sardinia belonging to Russian Formula One driver Nikita Mazepin and his father Dmitry as part of the latest sanctions imposed by the EU on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Mazepin, who drove for the Hass team until March 5, owns the 105 million euro complex at Portisco in the province of Olbia via a foreign company held by him and his father, police said.

The foreign property of Russian oligarchs and other citizens has been seized as part of European Union sanctions linked to the Ukraine war.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Spain to Scrap Indoor Masking 700 Days After Policy Was First Implemented

The Spanish Council of Ministers has approved a measure to scrap indoor mask mandates as of April 20th, exactly 700 days after the measure was passed on May 20th of 2020.

Minister of Health Carolina Darias announced the end of the indoor mask mandate on Tuesday following the meeting of the Council of Ministers and argued that Spain was now in a position where it could afford to drop the mandates.

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

Sweden: Over 35,000 Sign Petition Demanding Ban on Burning Qu’ran After Days of Riots

Over 35,000 people have signed a Swedish petition demanding the government make burning the Qu’ran a crime after cities across the country saw multi-day riots over anti-Islam activists burning the Islamic holy book.

The petition was started by Swedish journalist Atilla Yoldas, a reporter and columnist for the Swedish newspaper Expressen, and has managed to garner nearly 36,000 signatures in around four days as of Wednesday.

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

UK Judge Formally Approves Julian Assange’s Extradition to the US

UK District Judge Paul Goldspring has formally approved journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the US to face charges about information that he published through WikiLeaks more than a decade ago.

The order, which was issued at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, follows the UK Supreme Court preventing Assange from appealing a lower court ruling that approved his extradition last month. However, Assange’s legal team can still appeal today’s ruling.

The final decision will now be sent to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel. Assange’s lawyers have four weeks to make submissions to Patel and can also seek an appeal to the high court.

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

UK: BBC Lauds Implantable Microchip “Wallet”

This is totally normal. The BBC reporting on people getting implanted with microchips in their arms in order to buy things.

The article reads like an advert for the company Walletmor, which is offering to put the chips literally in people’s hands for just $300.

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

UK: Wimbledon Bans Russian Players From Competing in Tournament

The Wimbledon tennis tournament will ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has been revealed.

Citing “someone familiar with the decision,” Sportico reports that players holding the nationalities will not be allowed to enter the tournament, regardless of their personal feelings about the war.

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

Biden’s Saudi Arabia Embraces China; Will They Topple the Dollar?

If Saudi Arabia were to break the tradition of pricing its oil in US dollars, as it is contemplating doing, others could well start to price oil in Chinese yuan or other currencies — negatively affecting the US dollar’s status and potentially the entire US economy.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

GitHub is Banning Accounts of Russians Who Used to Work at Sanctioned Companies

Russian developers are reporting their GitHub accounts have been suspended if they previously worked for sanctioned companies — even though they no longer work for those companies.

Russian media claims the suspensions began on April 13.

The accounts of sanctioned companies, like Alfa Bank Laboratory, Sberbank AI Lab, and Sberbank Technology, have been removed from the Microsoft-owned software development hosting service GitHub.

GitHub has gone a step further by suspending the accounts of individual developers affiliated with sanctioned companies. The move contradicts a previous statement by the company that its services would be available to everyone “including developers in Russia.”

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

Latest News in the Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine: The commander of one of the last two Ukrainian military units in the Donbas port city of Mariupol appealed to world leaders for help getting his group to safety, alongside the wounded and the civilians sheltering in the shrinking area under Ukrainian control. While Russian forces have withdrawn from the northern regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy after sustaining severe losses, they have continued to occupy most of the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, as well as a large part of the Kharkiv region.

Refugees: More than five million people have fled Ukraine in less than two months of war, according to figures from the United Nations.

G-20: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and other top finance and central banking officials walked out of a meeting of the group of 20 major economies when the Russian delegation started speaking.

Russia: The Russian Defense Ministry said it had successfully test-launched an intercontinental missile the ministry said could hit targets anywhere in the world and evade any existing and future antimissile defense systems, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said the missile would make those threatening his country “think twice.”

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

Russia Pressures Mariupol as it Focuses on Ukraine’s East

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces tightened the noose around die-hard Ukrainian defenders holed up at a Mariupol steel plant Wednesday amid desperate new efforts to open an evacuation corridor for trapped civilians in the ruined city, a key battleground in Moscow’s drive to seize the country’s industrial east.

As the holdouts came under punishing new attacks, the Kremlin said it submitted a draft of its demands for ending the fighting, the number of people fleeing the country climbed past 5 million, and the West raced to supply Ukraine with heavier weapons for the potentially grinding new phase of the war.

With global tensions running high, the Kremlin reported the first successful test launch of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat, that President Vladimir Putin boasted can overcome any missile defense system and make those who threaten Russia “think twice.” It was launched in northern Russia…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Chinese Social Media Figure Wang Sicong is Banned From Weibo for Questioning COVID Policy

Weibo banned Wang Sicong, an internet influencer and the son of Dalian Wanda Group founder Wang Jianlin, from posting after he questioned the efficacy of the Chinese medication Lianhua Qingwen, which is used for Covid.

Weibo banned him for a “violation of related laws and regulation,” but did not specify which laws he had violated.

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

YouTube Shuts Down Channel of Hong Kong Leadership Candidate John Lee

YouTube has removed the campaign account of John Lee, the sole candidate for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive position. Google said the account was terminated in compliance with US sanctions.

“Google complies with applicable US sanctions laws and enforces related policies under its Terms of Service,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. After the company reviewed the policies, it “terminated the Johnlee2022” channel.

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

26 States Create Strike Force to Secure Southern Border

A new alliance comprised of 26 states, the American Governors’ Border Strike Force, has been created in an attempt to secure the southern border.

As the crisis at the southern border continues to escalate, many governors have decided to stop waiting for the federal government to act, opting instead to take matters into their own hands.

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

Belgium: ‘I Only Met Their Needs’ — Yemeni Migrant is Convicted for Raping Two Dutch Students During Party Celebrating His Refugee Status

A refugee from Yemen, who befriended two Dutch students aged 20 and 21, has been convicted of raping both girls at a party celebrating him winning asylum in Antwerp, Belgium. Prosecutors are now seeking 40 months in prison for the refugee.

The migrant, who name is reported as Ibrahim O., admitted in court that he had sex with the girls but claimed, “I only met their needs.”

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

Cyprus to Install Electronic Surveillance System to Halt Illegal Migrant Crossings

The Cypriot authorities have announced that the country will install an electronic surveillance system along the buffer zone that divides the island nation in order to prevent illegal immigration.

Such a decision has been taken as the number of persons attempting to cross the border illegally has been increasing significantly, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The plan to install the new surveillance system was announced by the spokesperson of the Cypriot government, Marios Pelekanos, after a meeting that was held between defence and police officials.

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

Hungary Accepted Thousands of Ukrainian Refugees During Easter

The Hungarian government announced that on Sunday, April 19, the police headquarters confirmed that 2,885 people had crossed into Hungary directly from Ukraine and another 5,532 from Ukraine through Romania.

In a press release issued on the same date, the government’s English news service MTI notes 567 people had received temporary residence permits for a period of thirty days granted by the police, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

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

Italy: Ukrainian Refugees Allegedly Exploited in Counterfeit Cigarette Factory

Italian police claim that Ukrainian refugees have been exploited by criminals creating counterfeit cigarettes in a town just south of Rome and say they have arrested the man behind the operation.

Italian police say that a total of ten foreigners were being exploited in the counterfeit cigarette factory, and among them were several refugees who had fled the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

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

More Than 2,100 Migrants Have Crossed the English Channel in 58 Small Boats This Month Alone, Home Office Figures Reveal — as a Total of 263 Were Intercepted Yesterday

More than 2,100 migrants have made it across the perilous English Channel in small boats so far this month, according to official figures.

The Ministry of Defence today revealed that a total of 263 were intercepted on Tuesday in seven different incidents, taking the total so far in April to 2,143 in 58 small boats.

Strong weather conditions meant it was too rough to make the 21-mile crossing of the Dover Straits on Wednesday, although some boats are thought to have been picked up by French authorities.

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

Pope Francis Thanks Poland for Welcoming Ukrainian Refugees

ROME — Pope Francis thanked the people of Poland Wednesday for their generous reception of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their war-torn country.

Referring to the upcoming feast of Divine Mercy Sunday, the pontiff declared that “Christ teaches us that man not only experiences God’s mercy but is also called to show it to his neighbor,” in his greeting to the people of Poland following his weekly general audience.

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

Spotify Reserves the Right to Limit Reach of “Misinformation”

Spotify is highlighting its rules around censorship, taking a leaf out of the book of other tech giants who like to find a way to limit speech that their rules don’t actually “outlaw.”

According to Spotify, the content the reach of which it can now decide to restrict is that which “touches” on what are described as sensitive topics — even though this content “does not cross the threshold which would require removal under our Platform Rules.”

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

UK: ‘Family Sex Show’ Aimed at Kids Cancelled After Backlash

A production called ‘The Family Sex Show’ aimed at children aged 5 and over that was described by the theatre company responsible as “an alternative to porn” has been cancelled after thousands of people signed a petition opposing it.

The company invited parents to bring their kids to the show, advertising that there would be full nudity and discussion of topics completely unsuitable for children.

The show was due to be performed at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory next month but that venue has become the second to bow out after a backlash.

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

Human Rights Declined During the COVID-19 Pandemic, In Countries From Angola to the US to New Zealand

Human rights activists and international leaders first warned in April 2020 that countries could use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to crack down on human rights.

Human rights refers to a wide range of political and social rights recognized by international law. It includes everything from people’s right to work and receive an education to people’s right to freely express their opinions and participate in politics.

Human rights scholars and I show in new research that human rights violations ultimately happened in 2020. Each of the 39 countries we analyzed — including Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States — saw an overall decrease in human rights in 2020.

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

2 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 4/20/2022

  1. Swedish Easter seen from our neighbour Germany, where
    public service can only see right-wing violence instead of
    Islam.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Malmö: ZDF turns immigrant violence into “right-wing riots”

    Posted 19 April 202287 in PINEWS, Germany’s proud
    counterpart to the venerable old Avixlat

    It’s pure framing: after reading an article in ZDF on the subject, the reader gets the impression that it was not Muslims but right-wingers who set fire to buses.

    The ongoing riots in Sweden are another welcome opportunity for German media to elevate the principle of “when the tail wags the dog” to a journalistic matrix: a partly openly Islamist immigrant mob is rampaging through the streets, while in German living rooms the paymasters are provided with laughs about right-wing reactionary street violence.

    What is really happening in the Scandinavian country, however, can be seen by anyone willing to take note of original videos of eyewitnesses and reports of experiences on the internet, as well as enlightening articles in free media.

    Once again, for the record: the main cause of the violent riots and “Easter riots” that have been raging there for several days are Muslim men who have instigated an orgy of violence – after a politically relatively insignificant group critical of migration and Islam called “Stram Kurs” by politician and lawyer Rasmus Paludan held rallies in several Swedish cities, during which – as a maximum provocation – a copy of the Koran should always be burnt.

    This led to violent clashes in Malmö at the weekend, which quickly turned into a firefight and in which police officers were also attacked. Countless cars were burned, looted and other violent acts of vandalism committed.

    Criminal gangs involved

    Violence continued to escalate over the weekend, with Sweden at times literally in chaos. Several police officers were injured, Molotov cocktails were thrown into occupied local buses and subsequent attempts to extinguish the fires were thwarted. Journalists were also physically attacked. The preliminary tally this morning was: 26 police officers injured, at least 14 others injured, 20 police vehicles damaged or destroyed and an average of 200 violent participants. Of the six events approved, two were fully held, one was partially held and three could not take place due to the riots.

    National Police Commissioner Thornberg explained: ‘We have seen violent riots in the past… but I want to say that this is different.” He said the police had strong suspicions that those who attacked the police and emergency services had links to criminal gangs.

    In the face of this outbreak of barbarism, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson was once again left with only a formulaic affirmation of basic democratic rights, which – not only in Sweden – could be protected less and less: “In Sweden, people are allowed to express their opinion, whether it is good or bad, that is part of our democracy. No matter what you think, you should never resort to violence. We don’t accept that and we never will.” Amen!

    Such unhelpful appeals of course fall on deaf ears with the recipients, if they are heeded at all.

    Familiar pattern

    So the pattern repeated in Europe from the violence following Pope Benedict XVI’s speech in Regensburg to the Muhammad cartoons in Denmark and the terrorist attack on the editorial office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has once again emerged. The same applies to the “reporting” of the events by most of the media in this country.

    Once again ZDF distinguishes itself by turning the real facts upside down: under the headline “Right-wing demonstrations: riots in Sweden” it is claimed that “in Sweden there were serious riots after right-wing demonstrations had been authorised”. Then it continues in all seriousness: “After right-wing demonstrations were allowed, there were again riots in Sweden during the night. In Malmö, a bus caught fire after unknown persons threw a burning object at the vehicle, SVT reported. There were also counter-demonstrators.” This deliberately gives the impression that it is not marauders, who are not mentioned at all, but right-wing radicals who are marching through Sweden.

    However insane and disgusting the provocative and inflammatory acts of “Stram Kurs” may be, they are still covered by freedom of speech.

    But now Sweden is once again taking revenge for a migration policy that in its madness can only be compared to Germany’s. The country has been plagued by migration-related crimes for years. As early as 2020, then-Prime Minister Stefan Löfven admitted in the face of exploding crime from immigrant gangs, “When immigration is so extensive that integration becomes difficult, it leads to social tensions.”

    In Germany, the representatives of the Left Party have not yet been able to draw such conclusions; apparently the pressure of suffering is not yet great enough, and it will take even more interruptions from the “party and event scene” before politicians realize the extent of their deviations. In any case, the conditions in Sweden should be a beacon for what we will also soon face.
    ——————–
    https://www.pi-news.net/2022/04/malmoe-zdf-macht-aus-migrantengewalt-rechte-ausschreitungen/

  2. HERE are the Koran-ligists: NONE of the detainees born in Sweden
    Domestic

    20 April 2022

    19.00

    282 comments
    Four men were detained on Wednesday afternoon on probable cause on suspicion of aggravated sabotage of blue-light operations and violent rioting. All of those detained are foreign-born immigrants. Three of them are Swedish citizens, while the fourth is a Somali citizen.

    The four detainees are suspected of involvement in the Easter weekend Koran riots in Linköping and Norrköping, when several police cars were set on fire and several police officers were injured.

    – The ambition is to identify more people who actively participated in the riots so that as many as possible can be prosecuted, says Chief Prosecutor Torsten Angervåg in a comment.

    The detention hearings were held by both Linköping District Court and Norrköping District Court.

    Several suspects were released
    On Monday, the police announced that 26 people had been arrested and detained on suspicion of violent rioting and sabotage of blue-light operations, eight of whom were under 18 years of age. Before today’s detention hearings, most of them had been released.

    Read more.

    – We have lifted the arrest of a number of young people who we suspect were involved in the riots because of their young age. The investigation against them will be continued and if at a later stage we deem that the evidence is sufficient, the young person will also be prosecuted, says Torsten Angervåg.

    From Syria and Somalia
    Two of those now in custody are from Syria, while the other two are from Somalia.

    A fifth person, a 23-year-old man who was born in Iran but has Afghan citizenship, was also requested to be detained. This is a person with an extensive criminal record and who has been convicted of robbery, assault, assault on a public official and several thefts.

    READ MORE: VIDEO: Muslims set fire to police cars – “Allahu akbar”

    However, the prosecutor chose during the day to withdraw the arrest request in that case and release the Afghan.

    The detainees
    Moulham Abo Gamous is 21 years old and was born in Syria’s capital Damascus. He came to Sweden in 2013 with his mother and father and became a Swedish citizen less than two years later.

    Abo Gamous was previously convicted of petty theft and violent resistance after a shop inspector discovered him stealing from an Ica Maxi store.

    The 21-year-old Syrian was today remanded in custody by Linköping District Court with restrictions on probable cause on suspicion of aggravated sabotage of blue-light operations.

    Ahmed Abdikadir Musse is 20 years old and was born in Balad, northeast of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. He came to Sweden in 2009 with his parents and has been a Swedish citizen since 2015.

    Musse has previous convictions for shoplifting, minor drug offences and breaches of the knife law. He has previously been detained under the Care of Young Persons Act (LVU).

    “In 2017, Ahmed Musse’s school received two reports of high absenteeism, criminal activity, criminal life, and the use and sale of drugs,” reads the judgment from the administrative court.

    Musse was detained today by Linköping District Court with restrictions on probable grounds suspected of aggravated sabotage against blue light operations.

    READ MORE: New Koran riots in Linköping and Norrköping: “We Muslims are burning up the whole country for our faith”

    Hussein Alhelou is 20 years old and was born in Raqqah, Syria – also known as the capital of the Islamic State. He came to Sweden with his parents in 2016 and has been a Swedish citizen since 2018.

    Alhelou is not known to have a criminal record. He was detained today by Norrköping District Court on probable cause on suspicion of aggravated sabotage of blue light operations and violent rioting.

    Mahomed Mustaf Hussen is a 28-year-old married father of two who was born in Somalia. He arrived in Sweden in 2016 and is the only one of the four detainees who is not a Swedish citizen.

    Hussen was previously convicted of violent resistance after he was caught in a ticket check on a tram in Norrköping.

    The 28-year-old father of two was today remanded in custody by Norrköping District Court on probable cause on suspicion of aggravated sabotage of blue-light operations and violent rioting.

    Continues

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