A Romanian man died after he crashed his car into the Russian Embassy in Bucharest and then set himself on fire. The dead man is said to have been upset over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Czechia sent dozens of tanks to Ukraine to assist in the country’s defense.
In other news, far-left extremists in France are suspected of sabotaging power lines, thereby causing thousands of people to lose their electricity.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to AvanB, Dean, JW, LP, Reader from Chicago, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
Can Young Ukrainians Save the Czech Pension System?
The idea that Czechia’s pension system can be saved by incoming Ukrainian children is simply not true, and it is time for a pension reform, analysts have claimed in response to a statement by Czech Education Minister Petr Gazdik.
According to the minister, if Ukrainian children remain in the Czech Republic, the generation born in the early 1970s will have their pensions taken care of. However, economists point out that it will not be that simple and there are still many variables.
Gazdik stated that spending on education is always the best recipe for the country’s economic future, and announced his intention to persuade the Minister of Finance Zbynek Stanjura to increase investments in this area.
“Ukrainian children are a huge benefit for the Czech Republic,” Gazdik said in an interview with the Lidové noviny daily.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The average price of airfare is expected to rise more than 10% over the month of April alone, driving up the cost of a domestic flight $100 or more since the beginning of 2022, recent estimates show.
The average price of a flight has already skyrocketed more than 40% since January, from $235 to $330 at the end of March.
Costs are expected to peak in May at around $360, according to market research firm Hopper’s monthly Consumer Airfare Index Report.
The rise represents an increase of 7% over 2019’s pre-pandemic levels — and the highest Hopper’s has measured since it started collecting the data.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fed Signals Half-Point Interest Rate Hike ‘Appropriate’ At Future Meetings
The Federal Reserve signaled that it could raise interest rates by 50-basis points in coming meetings and start to reduce its massive balance sheet at a pace of $95 billion a month as it seeks to cool the hottest inflation in four decades.
Minutes from the U.S. central bank’s March 15-16 meeting released on Wednesday show that “many” policymakers would have preferred a larger rate increase last month but determined that a more modest quarter-point hike would be appropriate “in light of greater near-term uncertainty associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BLM Secretly Spends $6 Million in Donations to Buy Luxury California Mansion
On a recent Rebel News DAILY Livestream, Nat Biase and David Menzies discussed the leaders of the Black Lives Matters organization allegedly spending $6 million in charitable donations to buy a 6,500-square foot Southern California mansion.
Commenting on the purchase, David said:
If you research this organization, this is indeed a Marxist organization. But again, we see that Marxism — it ain’t for the Marxists, is it?
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Burger King Sued Over Size of Its Burgers
WASHINGTON — Four Burger King customers are suing the fast-food chain, alleging its advertisements exaggerate the size of the burgers it sells.
The 26-page class-action lawsuit claims the company has been advertising its signature Whoppers to make them appear “approximately 35% larger in size, and contain more than double the meat, than the actual burger.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cdl Cupich Helped Liberal Chicago Mayor Draft COVID Letter to Faith Leaders, Leaked Emails Reveal
CHICAGO (LifeSiteNews) — Leaked emails reveal that Chicago’s leftist mayor, Lori Lightfoot, consulted with Cardinal Blase Cupich before sending a letter to Chicago’s faith communities in an effort to crack down on non-compliance with religious service restrictions imposed due to COVID-19.
Under Cupich, the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago had suspended public Masses and other religious services even before Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his stay-at-home executive order on March 20, 2020. However, some other churches were defying Pritker’s mandates, prompting Lightfoot to issue a letter warning church leaders she would suppress ongoing, in-person services.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Experts Say There’s Evidence Omicron Variant May Have Come From a Lab
(LifeSiteNews) — Amid growing evidence that COVID-19 did not have a natural origin, some experts are suggesting that the omicron variant of the virus was also man-made.
Investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson spoke with several scientists and researchers about the more transmissible but less deadly variant, and reported in a March 26 piece that “some scientists examining the virus have concluded ‘vast’ genetic mutations that likely occurred in a lab setting are what makes Omicron spread so quickly.”
“There was a large number of mutations in this variant—many more than we would expect from the normal evolution of this virus,” said virologist Andrew Pekosz, Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“Importantly, many mutations occurred in the spike protein—the protein the virus uses to bind to and enter cells—which is the target of the vaccine,” Pekosz added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Father Faces Criminal Charges in Virginia for Accusing Education Activist of ‘Grooming’
A father of a high-schooler in Virginia is facing charges after he suggested an activist alum at his son’s school was engaging in “grooming” behavior toward students. Harry Jackson’s son attends the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, Virg., and witnessed the activist alum engaging in what he felt was sketchy behavior toward a high-school senior on a Zoom call.
The call, in which the father, former Naval intelligence officer Harry Jackson and TJ Alumni Action Group member Jorge Torrico attended, was for a TJ PTSA meeting in November 2020. Torrico works in applicant engagement for the group, and was Thomas Jefferson class of 1998.
The charges were filed by Torrico during a visit to the Fairfax County Magistrate’s office during which a criminal complaint was made. According to a Motion to Dismiss provided to The Post Millennial by attorney Marina Medvin, who took the case on behalf of the non-profit Right Defense, the magistrate issues two Class 3 misdemeanor Summons against Jackson, based on Torrico’s complaint.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Google Will Face a Lawsuit Over Accusations of Collecting Kids’ Data
A privacy violation case filed against Google in Illinois by parents, on behalf of their minor children, can proceed, the US District Court for the Central District of Illinois has ruled.
The case, Farwell v. Google, revolves around the way Google implements its educational technology, with the plaintiffs alleging that the children’s biometric data — faces and voices — was recorded in breach of the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Heckler Interrupts Barrett at Reagan Library, Her Response Sparks Laughs, Applause From Crowd
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was interrupted by a heckler during remarks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Monday.
“As a mother of seven, I am used to distractions — and sometimes even outbursts,” said Barrett, receiving laughs and applause from the audience.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hunter Biden Whistleblower Flees to Switzerland, Claims to Have Mountain of Data Coming
The Hunter Biden scandal has exploded back onto the national scene over the last few weeks, with even leftwing media outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post finally reporting on the details. Much of that sudden interest is being driven by an expanding FBI investigation into the president’s son, and as I said in a prior article, there’s every reason to believe something big is coming.
Why? Because mainstream media outlets rarely publish stories harmful to Democrats unless they are trying to get out in front to control the narrative. We saw that occur with John Durham’s most recent indictments, where the DOJ selectively leaked to the Times in order to whitewash the situation. In short, we almost certainly haven’t seen the worst yet.
Now, a whistleblower previously made known for giving the hard drive from Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop to The Daily Mail back in 2020 is speaking out — and if he’s telling the truth, the Bidens should be losing sleep over it.
The source who distributed Hunter Biden’s laptop to congressmen and media has fled the US to Switzerland, saying he fears retaliation from the Biden administration.
Jack Maxey gave DailyMail.com a copy of the hard drive from Hunter’s abandoned laptop in the spring of 2021.
He also gave copies and material from it to the Washington Post, New York Times, and Senator Chuck Grassley in his role as ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee — but he claims they all sat on it for months.
For the past two weeks, Maxey has been in hiding in Zurich, working with IT experts to dig out more data from the ‘laptop from hell’.
Maxey, a former co-host of ex-Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon’s podcast the War Room, claims he and his colleagues have found ‘450 gigabytes of deleted material’ including 80,000 images and videos and more than 120,000 archived emails.
He said he intends to post them all online in a searchable database in the coming weeks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Make Twitter Orange Again: Twitter Users Demand Trump be Reinstated to the Platform
With Elon Musk now on Twitter’s board of directors, supporters of Donald Trump have reignited their campaign for the social media platform’s ban on the former president to be lifted.
The billionaire’s position as a staunch free-speech advocate has caused many to call on him to reinstate the accounts of some who have been banned from Twitter, including former president Donald Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Massachusetts Ruling: Cops Can’t Get Cell Tower Data Dumps on Citizens’ Data Without Warrant
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has ruled that police should obtain warrants before running “tower dump” searches. The ruling, which upheld users’ privacy and civil rights, was applauded by rights groups.
Tower dumps are used by investigators to get the cell site location (CSLI) of all devices that are connected to specific towers at the given time frame of a crime.
The ruling was made in the Commonwealth v. Jerron Perry case, where the defendant was charged with the murder of a store clerk in Boston back in 2018.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Military Members Challenging Biden’s Military Vax Mandate File Appeal to Get Day in Court
DENVER (LifeSiteNews) — Attorneys representing more American service members against the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates filed another appeal, arguing that a lower court failed to adequately consider the law, the facts of the case, and relevant precedents that have allowed other members of the U.S. Armed Forces their day in court.
Last August, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed the secretaries of all military branches to “immediately begin full [COVID] vaccination of all members of the Armed Forces” and “impose ambitious timelines for implementation.” The vast majority of service members complied, but tens of thousands remain unvaccinated, with many seeking exemptions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Verdict in Capitol Riot Case Throws a Wrench Into Political Narrative
A federal defense contractor who had been charged with four misdemeanors for walking into the Capitol on Jan. 6, fought the charges and was acquitted on all counts today by Judge Trevor McFadden. Matthew Martin was charged with: entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, as well as parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ohio Introduces Anti-Grooming, Critical Race Theory-Banning Bill
On Tuesday, Ohio Reps. Mike Loychik and Jean Schmidt introduced a bill that would prohibit schools from teaching “divisive or inherently racist concepts,” and in a similar fashion to Florida, bans teaching young children about sexual orientation or gender identity.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ontario Man Trafficking 58 Handguns Arrested in New York
An Ontario man is facing felony weapons charges after New York state police discovered that he was carrying 58 handguns and multiple high-capacity pistol magazines in his trunk.
Police say that Badri Ahmed-Mohamed, 36, of Ottawa, was in possession of the guns and was only pulled over because he was speeding.
The arrest was made by Officer Kyle Regan, who was just sworn in as a full-time officer in Mount Morris, New York, just over two weeks ago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Image sharing site Pinterest has banned many categories of content that challenge the official climate change narrative from its platform.
Under its new far-reaching “climate misinformation policy,” Pinterest has banned:
- “Content that denies the existence or impacts of climate change, the human influence on climate change, or that climate change is backed by scientific consensus”
- “False or misleading content about climate change solutions that contradict well-established scientific consensus”
- Content that “misrepresents scientific data, including by omission or cherry-picking, in order to erode trust in climate science and experts”
- “Harmful false or misleading content about public safety emergencies including natural disasters and extreme weather events”
- “Conspiracy theories” about climate change
- Climate change content that “originates from disinformation campaigns”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A former pot-smoking Trump backer who became a full-fledged ISIS crusader was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday after expressing hope that “jihad will erupt on the American homeland.”
Bernard Augustine, 25, also tore into the federal prosecutors on his case as “filthy dogs and swine.”
Augustine has been in custody ever since his arrest in Tunisia in 2016, where he’d flown from San Francisco on his way to Libya to join the Islamic State.
His belief in violent jihad and the systematic destruction of “nonbelievers and apostates” began when he had his heart broken as a teenager and hardened behind bars, Augustine declared proudly in Brooklyn Federal Court.
“Today, I am a committed supporter of the mujahedeen, Islamic jihad and the Islamic State,” said Augustine, bearded and bespectacled.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Psaki Claims Department of Justice is ‘Independent’ When Asked About Hunter Biden’s Laptop
Peter Doocy asked the White House on Tuesday if their position on the Hunter Biden investigation has changed, given recent reporting.
When asked about appointing a special counsel to maintain independence, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded instead by claiming parties involved have stayed neutral thus far.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republican Elected as Kenosha County Executive, Ending Decades of Democrat Leadership
After decades of Democrat leadership, Kenosha County’s Executive is now a Republican.
Citizens of Kenosha County in Wisconsin made their voices heard at the polls on Tuesday to elect their County Executive.
According to the Kenosha News, Samantha Kerkman won against her Democrat counterpart Rebecca Matoska-Mentink, becoming the first Republican to hold the position in decades, and the first woman to hold the position.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rigged: Documentary Details Zuckerberg’s $400 Million Vote Juicing for Biden
A blockbuster documentary debuting Tuesday about the 2020 election makes new charges that groups associated with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg spent hundreds of millions to inflate Democratic voter turnout just enough to defeat former President Donald Trump.
Rigged: The Zuckerberg-Funded Plot to Defeat Donald Trump, produced by the pro-Trump Citizens United Productions and movie maker-activist David Bossie, outlines how the so-called “Zuckerbucks” scheme funneled historic levels of spending to mostly Democratic districts for get-out-the-vote efforts. In Wisconsin, for example, 90% of Zuckerberg’s money went to districts won by Biden.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rockville Man Gets 80 Years in Stabbing Death of Mother Outside Church
Kevin McGuigan, 24, was sentenced to life in prison with all but 80 years suspended Wednesday in Montgomery County Circuit Court, the office of State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement. He pleaded guilty in September to first-degree murder in the death of his mother, Jaclyn McGuigan.
Court documents say she was stabbed in front of St. Raphael Catholic Church, on Dunster Road in Potomac, Dec. 28, 2018. She died of her injuries.
Witnesses told the police at the time that they heard screaming, ran out of the church, found Jaclyn McGuigan on the ground and saw someone running through the parking lot and driving away in a car. A witness remembered the license plate and relayed it to the police. The car was registered to Jaclyn McGuigan, and was found at Falls Grove Park soon after, with Kevin McGuigan’s phone in it.
When the police went to Jaclyn McGuigan’s house to tell her other children that she had died, one of the children asked “if Kevin killed their mother,” and said Kevin McGuigan had tried to kill him about two years earlier. The other child said her mother and brother had driven from the house to the church in the car police found later…
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
One of the men accused of opening fire on a crowd in Sacramento early Sunday morning has been revealed to have a long running criminal history, and was released from prison in February after serving just four years of a 10-year sentence.
On Tuesday, Sacramento police arrested 27-year-old Smiley Martin, who remains in the hospital for injuries he sustained during the shooting, and faces charges of possession of a machine gun and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee show that the district attorney’s office had strongly opposed Smiley Martin’s release from the 10-year prison sentence in a letter last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sacramento Shooting: At Least 5 People Fired Guns During Gang-Related Shooting Downtown, Police Say
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At least five shooters fired guns during a gang-related gunbattle in downtown Sacramento Sunday that killed six people and injured 12 others, police said on Wednesday.
“As detectives learn more about the shootings, it is increasingly clear that gang violence is at the center of this tragedy,” Sacramento police said in a release. “While we cannot at this time elaborate on the precise gang affiliation of individuals involved, gangs and gang violence are inseparable from the events that drove these shootings.”
There were two groups involved in an exchange of gunfire, Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Zach Eaton said…
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Sex Cult Leader Larry Ray Found Guilty of Exploitation Scheme at Sarah Lawrence College
62-year-old Larry Ray was declared guilty on Wednesday for 15 counts of crimes that included sex trafficking, tax evasion, extortion and forced labor. It’s the culmination of a decades long story where the defendant stood trial in the manipulation of college students into a lifestyle of servitude.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Music Industry Continues Its War Against YouTube Rippers
Global music sales have been soaring for several years now, bringing in more revenues at a faster rate than in the previous 20 years, the 2021 data shows.
Last year, this industry was worth $25.9 billion — up by 18.5% and reaching the highest figure since the 1990s. The widespread availability of streaming and low cost of subscriptions is credited for this, rather than any victory in the multi-decade “war on piracy” that industry giants have been involved in.
Despite this, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) appears to be as determined to continue to wage its “war” — in the past, the focus was mostly on torrenting (sites, but also the agnostic technology behind them), and lately, the attention has shifted to so-called ripping — specifically downloading audio files from sites like YouTube, but also a variety of others.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Suggests 100 Million People Might Have Died From COVID Without His ‘Warp Speed’ Vaccines
BEDMINSTER TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (LifeSiteNews) — New video has surfaced of yet another instance of former President Donald Trump touting the controversial COVID-19 vaccines, further underscoring a disconnect with his populist base he will have to contend with should he run for re-election in 2024.
The newly-released clip comes from an 80-minute Zoom conversation Trump had last summer with a group of historians reviewing his presidency.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tucker Carlson: ‘Like a Pack of Wild Dogs, Democrats Have Decided to Kill Off Weak Biden’
Fox News host Tucker Carlson noted that footage of Joe Biden wandering around the White House on his own as the rest of his handlers and Democratic underlings fawn before a visiting Barack Obama is a perfect visualisation of what the future holds.
After playing the footage, Carlson pointed out that “no one in Washington thinks the Biden presidency is glorious anymore. They think it’s a disaster. Polls show that voters strongly agree. Joe Biden is now the most unpopular person in virtually any room he enters.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Manager Says He’s Been ‘Radicalized’ by Elon Musk’s Appointment to Board: ‘it’s Broken Me’
Following the news that Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk will now be on Twitter’s board of directors, Twitter engineering manager Jay Holler went on a tirade on the social media platform, saying his appointment has “radicalized” and “broken” him.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Releases Statement Saying it Will Continue to Censor, Never Reinstate Trump
In the wake of Elon Musk buying an influential stake in Twitter and being appointed to its board, the company has declared that it will continue to censor anyone it pleases and will not reverse previous decisions to ban prominent users including President Trump.
As we covered yesterday, woke Twitter employees took to the platform to share their anger about Musk being their new boss, following the billionaire’s previous comments about wanting to restore free speech.
In response, the company issued a statement proclaiming that “Twitter is committed to impartiality in the development and enforcement of its policies and rules.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington Post Admits NATO Wants to Prolong War in Ukraine
In an article about the potential for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, the Washington Post admits that some within NATO want to prolong the war for as long as possible.
The admission is contained in a piece titled ‘NATO says Ukraine to decide on peace deal with Russia — within limits’.
“Even a Ukrainian vow not to join NATO — a concession that Zelensky has floated publicly — could be a concern to some neighbors. That leads to an awkward reality: For some in NATO, it’s better for the Ukrainians to keep fighting, and dying, than to achieve a peace that comes too early or at too high a cost to Kyiv and the rest of Europe,” states the article.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Jack Posobiec Says Elon Musk’s Twitter Stock Buy is Act of Gen X Rebellion Against Wokeness
Human Events Daily Host Jack Posobiec broke down how Elon Musk’s buying of 9.2 percent of Twitter stock was an act of Gen X rebellion. While Gen X was at one point famously apolitical and uninterested in politics, the rise of wokeness in succeeding generations, specifically among Millennials and Zoomers, requires Gen X action.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White House Grilled on Whether Biden Did Favors for His Son’s International Business Partners
In Wednesday’s White House press conference, Press Secretary Jen Psaki was grilled on whether it was commonplace for President Joe Biden to do favors for his son’s international business partners.
“Was it common for President Biden to do favors for Hunter Biden’s international business partners like writing college recommendations for their kids?” Peter Doocy of Fox News asked.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
43% of Canadians Putting Off Plans to Buy a House Due to Costs
A new poll shows that nearly half the country is delaying purchasing a home due to the out-of-control housing market.
The survey conducted by Scotiabank found that in 2022, 43% were putting off a home purchase. Last year that figure was 33%, while in 2020 it was only 20%.
Housing affordability hasn’t reached this level since 1990, according to the RCB housing affordability measure.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Has No Chance Matching Russia’s Arctic Presence: Defence Chief
A commander with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has stated that Canada has no chance of matching Russia’s military capabilities in the Arctic.
According to Defence Chief Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada cannot hope to maintain a permanent presence in the north, but instead will only deploy troops where necessary.
Eyre appeared before a Senate committee earlier this week as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand met with premiers from Canada’s territories — Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Data Suggests Only 9 Percent of Canadians Have Caught COVID, With a Nearly 99% Recovery Rate
(LifeSiteNews) — Despite over two years of hysteria, data from April 1 show that just nine percent of Canadians have ever even contracted COVID-19, and of those who did nearly 99 percent recovered.
According to a COVID case tracker used by mainstream media outlet Global News, out of a population of over 38 million, just 3.4 million Canadians have contracted the highly survivable coronavirus since the onset of the so-called pandemic. Even with admitted reports of inflated death tolls — by as much as 30 percent in the most populous province of Ontario — just 1.08 percent of that nine percent who did contract the virus actually died, representing 0.09 percent of the population.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive: RCMP Warned in 2017 That Illegal Border Crossers Could Cause a ‘Significant Health Event’
The information is part of a large access to information document about the Emerson, Manitoba border crossing.
Healthy law-abiding Canadians, whose only crime is to hold a different view on the necessity or effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination than their Prime Minister, are confined and castigated inside their own country, yet a recent inquiry of the Health Ministry revealed 60 per cent of recent illegal migrants presenting at the Roxham Road Quebec irregular crossing are unvaccinated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Liberals to Force Google and Facebook to Pay CBC, Legacy Media
In another effort to save unprofitable legacy media from going under, the Trudeau government has tabled Bill C-18, a bill that would force “online communications platforms” to fork over ad revenue for news appearing on their feeds.
The legislation would exempt news corporations from the Competition Act and anti-trust laws, requiring social media platforms and search engines like Facebook and Google to pay news media from ad revenues generated by news content.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ontario Politician Claims New Bill Would Allow Seizure of Property Without a Warrant, Trial
TORONTO (LifeSiteNews) — Member of Provincial Parliament Rick Nicholls believes that a bill being considered in the Ontario Parliament could lead to undemocratic activity and the seizure of personal property without a warrant.
During the question period on April 4, Nicholls challenged Bill 100: Keeping Ontario Open for Business Act, which has so far gone through its second reading, opining that the intended scope of the bill could be used in ways that severely hamper the civil liberties of Ontarians.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pastor Ticketed Over $17,000 After Battling Quarantine Act
The Church of God which Pastor Tobias belongs to, was also fined $5,000 for hosting in-person church service, and after a battle with RCMP over parking lot access they were later fined for drive-in church services as well. Both forms of worship were considered illegal at that time.
Tickets and non compliance continued, until months later when a warrant for six individuals for multiple breaches of public health and safety measures ensued. Pastor Tobias was one of those individuals and we caught up with him while the warrant was active to hear his side of the story. He continue hosting Church services despite the warrant, and stated that authorities would have to arrest him at the church, where he continued to present himself on Sundays.
While this warrant was active, Pastor Tobias faced what he would call, gestapo tactics, much like his family had fled Europe from in years past. His church also now faced with a potential one million dollar fine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Appointee Says Canadians Can Trust CRTC to Regulate Internet
The head of Canada’s unelected broadcasting and telecommunications regulator has said that Canadians can trust the group to regulate the internet once the Liberal government’s Bill C-11 gives it that power.
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Chairman Ian Scott was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the position in 2021.
“Users of online and social media services expect freedom of expression, and they will continue to enjoy this under the new Broadcasting Act,” Scott claimed in a recent speech.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau’s Convicted Criminal Environment Minister Backs Carbon Tax Despite Record Inflation
On April 4 2022, during an evening interview with a CPAC, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault shared his thoughts on the latest UN climate change report. Guilbeault revealed to the audience his personal thoughts on Canada’s role of leading the world with its ambitious goal of reducing emissions.
Guilbeault, 52, is a controversial choice for the role of environment minister give he was arrested and charged for climate activism in the early 2000s while working with Greenpeace. Guilbeault’s past has sparked allegations of the minister having a “secret agenda” and that an eco-extremist is in charge of the country’s policies.
Guilbeault began the interview by bragging about his policies which have increased the cost of living in Canada, with an increase coming to the unpopular carbon tax during the country’s largest rate of inflation in 30 years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Terrorist Attack”: Man Rams Car Into Russian Embassy in Romania
A man who was recently sentenced for abusing his stepdaughter rammed a car into the Russian Embassy in Romania this morning, in what was described as a “terrorist attack.”
The culprit was found dead inside his vehicle after dousing himself in gasoline and setting himself on fire.
Reports say the act was an “intentional” protest against Russian involvement in Ukraine, with the Embassy later releasing a statement asserting that it was “beyond any doubt that the driver was influenced by the anti-Russian hysteria” surrounding the alleged war crime in Bucha.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
85% of Poles Back a Ban on Russian Energy
An overwhelming majority of Poles are in favor of a national ban on Russian energy imports, even if such a measure leads to a rise in the cost of living, the latest polling shows.
According to a United Surveys poll for the RMF FM radio station and the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper, 85 percent of respondents back restrictions on purchasing Russian oil, gas and coal. On the contrary, 10 percent opposed such a move.
Support for anti-Russian measures are gaining traction in Poland after just 68 percent of respondents supported a ban when faced with the identical question one month earlier.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch MP: ‘These Are Strange Times That Will Unfortunately Get Worse’
The Dutch government is working on preparations that will give the government more options if they go to war. Lockdowns, controlled entry and crackdowns on demonstrators are exercises for when the time comes, explained Forum for Democracy (FvD) MEP Marcel de Graaff in a video message.
The Population Movement Act, which is now being debated in Parliament, makes it possible to deport people, confiscate their houses and detain them. But also the artificial scarcity of gas and food is preparing citizens for a war situation. These are strange and exciting times that will unfortunately get worse, warned De Graaff.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Punishes Hungary for Electing Orban
If there was ever any doubt as to the EU being a horrendous, authoritarian anachronism.
They are now sanctioning Hungary because Hungarians democratically elected a Prime Minister the EU doesn’t like.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Far-left extremists are believed to have been involved in the sabotage of power lines in the southern commune of Villard-Bonnot that saw over 5,000 people go without power early Tuesday morning.
Over the period from Monday night into Tuesday morning, a total of 5,539 people in Villard-Bonnot were without electricity after nine power lines were allegedly set on fire on the Brignoud bridge, which crosses the Isère river near the city of Grenoble.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Slovakian Far-Right Party Leader Loses Parliamentary Mandate Following Supreme Court Appeal
The leader of a far-right political party in Slovakia has lost his parliamentary mandate and been handed a six-month suspended custodial sentence after being found guilty of expressing neo-Nazi sympathies.
Marian Kotleba, leader of the People’s Party Our Slovakia (LSNS), was appealing an initial verdict passed by Slovakia’s specialized criminal court in 2020 which found him guilty of supporting a movement “aimed at suppressing fundamental human rights,” and sentenced him to four years and four months in prison.
The Slovak Supreme Court on Tuesday reaffirmed his guilt but reduced his custodial sentence to six months suspended, meaning Kotleba will not go to prison unless he breaks any conditions of the sentence. He will, however, lose his parliamentary mandate.
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UK Censorship Bill Tasks Big Tech With Deciding When Something is “Illegal” Or “Fraudulent”
The UK’s current effort to censor online speech, the Online Safety Bill, will give the government broad powers to dictate content that the tech giants have to censor and empower the police to arrest people over what they post online.
While these new powers are chilling, they are at least still tied to the UK justice system which guarantees citizens the right to a fair trial and the right to appeal.
But some provisions in the Online Safety Bill skip the police and the courts entirely and instead require the tech giants, some of which are monopolies, to act as enforcers of speech.
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UK: Government Hikes Payroll Tax as Fuel Prices Hit All-Time High
As fuel prices hit all-time highs amid a massive cost of living crisis, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party government has hiked payroll tax across the United Kingdom.
Despite the ongoing cost of living crisis brought about by the aftermath of the Chinese Coronavirus Pandemic and the Ukraine War, Boris Johnson’s government has successfully hiked payroll tax across the UK.
The move comes as the cost of fuel in the country hits an all-time high, with a small fuel-duty cut previously implemented by the country’s finance tsar doing little to nothing to curtail rising costs.
According to a report by state-owned broadcaster, the BBC, those earning around £80,000 gross will end up paying nearly £600 more per year.
The increase in taxes has been justified by the government as being necessary to keep the NHS — Britain’s socialised healthcare service recently embroiled in a maternity death scandal — afloat after the COVID pandemic.
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Ukraine Launches War of Words With Hungarian Government, May Have Tried to Interfere in Election
In a sign of a further cooling of the relationship between the two neighboring countries, Hungarian Foreign Secretatry Péter Szijjartó has announced that the Ukrainian ambassador to Hungary Lyubov Nepop has been summoned to the the Foreign Ministry in Budapest.
In a statement released on his social media page, Szijjartó stated that as far as the war in Ukraine is concerned, his government was always unequivocal concerning the Russian invasion: they condemned the military aggression, stood up for Ukraine’s sovereignty, allowed hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee to, or through Hungary, and delivered hundreds of tons of food and other donations as part of Hungary’s largest humanitarian operation ever.
The Hungarian foreign minister added that the security of Hungary and of the Hungarian people is of paramount importance to his government. “This is not our war, therefore we want to get out of it, and we will stay out of it,” said Szijjartó.
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Czechia Sends Dozens of Tanks to Ukraine, Including T-72s and BVP Fighting Vehicles
Several dozen older T-72 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles traveled from the Czech Republic by train to Ukraine on Monday in the form of a gift from the Czech army, which Czechia agreed on with NATO allies.
Czechia indicates that Ukrainian soldiers are trained to handle the technology, and the vehicles are supposed to help them defend the country.
According to the editorial staff, these are older types of non-modernized T-72 tanks, which had Czech active reserves in their equipment. The army had about 90 pieces in stock. In addition, it actively operates only about 30 modernized machines.
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Facebook Said it Was a Mistake to Block #buchamassacre Hashtag
Meta’s automated content moderation systems blocked hashtags about a massacre in Bucha, Ukraine, on both Instagram and Facebook, the company announced.
The company said it was a mistake.
On both platforms, the hashtags #buchamassacre and #bucha were blocked. Meta’s spokesperson Andy Stone said that the system blocked the hashtags because of the accompanying violent images.
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In Ukraine: Ukraine braced for an anticipated large-scale Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region, and heavy clashes continued in the area. Russia’s Donbas strategy could remain impaired, however, by a Ukrainian strike on a Russian ship last month. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Irish lawmakers that the Russian assault would cause widespread hunger. Russia pressed on with long-range missile strikes, targeting fuel depots across Ukraine.
Western officials said that Russia’s withdrawal from around Kyiv is largely complete. Some residents are returning to the capital city but remain skeptical that they have seen the last of Russian forces. The Turkish Embassy reopened and Lithuania’s ambassador could return as soon as Thursday, officials said.
War-Crimes Accusations: The U.S. Department of Justice is working with European authorities on a plan to gather evidence about atrocities in Ukraine, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday. Pope Francis decried “horrendous cruelties” in Ukraine, including in “the martyred city of Bucha,” where reports of atrocities have prompted allegations of Russian war crimes, which Moscow denies. China shifted its tone, calling images from Bucha extremely disturbing, while continuing to avoid casting blame on Moscow.
Sanctions: The U.S. and EU prepared new packages of sanctions on Moscow, including measures targeting banks and two of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s daughters. President Biden signed an executive order that includes a ban on new investment in Russia by American investors. EU members backed a ban on Russian coal imports, but have yet to agree to halt the purchase of oil and natural gas.
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“With winter fast approaching, Europe finds itself in an energy crisis—and reliant on the tender mercies of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. It’s a self-induced disaster years in the making”.
That was how an October 20, 2021 editorial in the Wall Street Journal began, before Russia amassed its troops on the Ukrainian border and no analyst or think tank imagined that the unthinkable was around the corner.
| — Hat tip: AvanB | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Suppresses Russian Government Accounts
If you’re trying to obtain information from both sides of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Twitter just made your job a little bit harder.
The far-left platform has restricted 300 official Russian government accounts, suppressing them across all feeds. Twitter said posts from the accounts will no longer be recommended in timelines, notifications, or anywhere else on the site.
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The closure of Russian gas pipelines could lead to the shutting down of factories and companies, rising unemployment, and a drastic economic impact across the Czech Republic as well as much of Europe, according to analyst Jiri Gavor.
According to Gavor, Russian President Vladimir Putin probably surprised even his own citizens with his threat to cut Europe off from Russia’s gas supply. However, while Russia could theoretically use the pressure of its energy exports to squeeze Europe in the short term, the cutoff would not prove to be economically wise in the long run.
“Europe can’t find an adequate replacement this year. It would mean a bit of a transition to a war economy. It’s not just heating. First of all, we would really have to close some industrial companies sooner rather than later,” said Gavor to Echo24 news outlet.
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India: Hindutva Groups Start Campaign Against ‘Disturbing’ Azan in Karnataka.
In Karnataka, Hindutva groups start campaign against rampant use of Mosque loudspeakers for azan causing severe noise pollution five times a day.
B Upendran | HENB | Bengaluru | April 6, 2022:: After the campaign against halal meat as per Sharia diktat as sold by Muslim traders, Hindutva organisations have launched a campaign against azan, the five time prayer call from mosques in a day. The campaign and the “silence” of the Karnataka Government on back-to-back campaigns has been criticized by the opposition parties who always try to appease the Muslim people for vote bank politics.
Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik and his associates warned the Government to remove illegal mikes from mosque which, they said, are causing noise pollution. They threatened to intensify protests if the Government failed to act properly. The campaign would include playing bhajans at temples everyday at 5 a.m. to “counter” the azan.
Reacting to this, City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said that all the places of worship are required to strictly follow the directions of the High Court on noise pollution under Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules enacted in 2000.
Any violations attracts contempt proceedings and legal action whether it is temple or mosque. He further said that action will also be taken against both mosque and temple management under violation and contempt.
Reacting to the campaign, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Muslim sympathizer H.D. Kumaraswamy accused Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of remaining silent on these issues.
Though the opposition parties in Karnataka are trying hard to blame BJP Govt in the state with the allegations of diverting the attention from real issues such as inflation and unemployment; the Hindutva outfits possess their high morale to fight for the cause of Hindutva after wining the Hijab case (not permitting Hijab in educational institution violating the uniform code) in Karnataka High Court.
Amid opposition by Hindutva groups to the use of loudspeakers at mosques, senior Karnataka Minister K S Eshwarappa on Monday said, any solution to the issue can be found by taking the Muslim community into confidence, keeping the interests of students and patients in mind.
As per report, K S Eshwarappa advised Muslim leaders to see to it that speakers are limited to their places of worship and don’t disturb people living in surrounding areas, especially the students and patients.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Six Wounded in Grenade Attack at Afghan Mosque
Attacks on public targets have largely diminished since the Taliban seized power in August last year
Six people were wounded in a grenade blast at a mosque in the Afghan capital Wednesday, police said, minutes after worshippers offered midday prayers marking the holy month of Ramazan.
Attacks on public targets have largely diminished since the Taliban seized power in August last year, but Da’ish continues to operate across the country.
“We had finished the prayers and were heading out of the mosque when the blast occurred,” worshipper Mohammed Yasin told AFP…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Revolt in Shanghai Against New Lockdown Madness
We’re now seeing open revolt from the normally submissively complaint Chinese in response to yet another lockdown in Shanghai.
People are singing protest songs in unison from their balconies, and being ordered by government drones to go back inside.
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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews blamed the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron for holding on to the unprecedented powers until more of his state gets their booster shot.
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Nigeria Ties All SIM Cards to National ID System
Nigerians whose SIM cards are not linked to their National Identity Number (NIN), a mandatory digital ID system, won’t be able to make phone calls, starting this week. The partial block is a tone down from the previous threat of a total block.
The National Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) released a joint statement saying they were not going to postpone the deadline again. Initially, the deadline was December 31, 2020; it has been postponed ten times since then, with the latest postponed deadline being March 31, 2020.
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Breaking: Texas to Send Illegal Migrants to Washington, DC on Charter Buses
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced the state will provide charter buses to send illegal immigrants to Washington, DC.
The crisis at the United States-Mexico border has shown no signs of slowing down, and the Biden administration has done little to quell the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.
In response, Texas governor Greg Abbott has decided to bring the issue directly to those in Washington, DC.
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DeSantis Vows to Send Illegal Immigrants ‘Dumped’ in Florida to Biden’s Home State of Delaware
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he will send illegal immigrants who are “dumped” into the Sunshine State to sanctuary states like President Biden’s home state of Delaware, which he represented for more than 35 years in the U.S. Senate.
DeSantis’ remarks came after he signed the No Patient Left Alone Act into law on Wednesday in Naples, Florida, and began discussing the Biden administration’s termination of the Title 42 health policy, which gave the administration the ability to bar people from entering the country during a health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Last month, we brought you the story of Noura Kreimlie, originally from Lebanon and now a resident, along with her three children, at the former Radisson Toronto East hotel. (The property was “de-flagged” by Radisson headquarters in Minnesota for unknown reasons.)
In any event, while the hotel used to cater to the general public, it now exclusively houses refugee-claimants from the world over. Yet, based on what Noura revealed, trust us: you wouldn’t want to stay in this property — which is to say, these days, this property less resembles a Radisson and more so resembles a supersized Roach Motel.
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UK: Migrant Crisis: Home Office ‘Planning to Send Migrants to Rwanda’ For Processing
Boris Johnson is set to announce plans to send migrants to Rwanda to be processed, it has been reported.
The prime minister is edging closer to unveiling proposals to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing and settlement, according to reports in The Times.
The Home Office did not deny the reports, with a spokesperson telling Sky News: “As set out in our New Plan for Immigration, we are committed to working closely with a range of international partners as we continue to fix our broken asylum system.”
But, later on Tuesday, Minister for Refugees Lord Harrington told LBC there was “no possibility” of migrants being sent for processing in Rwanda.
The newspaper said the plans, which were intended to be announced last week during a surge in migrants attempting to cross the Channel, could cost the UK “millions”.
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Backlash as Oreo Releases Odd Woke LGBTQ Advert
In yet another example of a multinational company glomming on to a current social hot topic in order to hawk its products, Oreo has released an advert with an LGBTQ story in it.
The video shows an Asian boy preparing to tell his grandmother that he’s gay, after being encouraged by his mother. Oh, and the boy’s sister eats an Oreo.
“Coming out doesn’t happen just once,” Oreo tweeted, adding “It’s a journey that needs love and courage every step of the way.”
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California City to Give Free Money to Trans and Non-Binary Residents
The Californian city of Palm Springs is planning to provide universal basic income (UBI) to residents who identify as transgender or non-binary.
A new pilot program set up by the Palm Springs City Council last week has raised $200,000 to be allocated to the UBI program following a unanimous vote, to provide transgender residents with up to $900 a month solely for identifying as trans or non-binary.
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Canada: Elementary School Hosts “Sexuality Diversity in Children” Workshops
A Toronto District School Board (TDSB) elementary school is hosting a series of workshops on affirming “sexuality diversity in children” and youth.
JK-Grade 8 Rawlinson Community School seminars titled “Affirmation of Gender and Sexuality Diversity in Children, Youth and Families” are being conducted by the organization 519 Space For Change.
According to a Rawlinson newsletter, parents and families are being invited to join the Apr. 12 Zoom event.
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LA County Votes to Suspend Official Travel to Florida, Texas Over Parental Rights, Transgender Laws
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (BOS) on Tuesday approved a motion suspending official travel to Florida and Texas over the southern states’ legislation regarding parental rights and transgender minors.
Critics have depicted recent orders from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Don DeSantis as harmful to LGBTQ inclusiveness and safety.
The LA County BOS responded to the legislation by voting to “suspend all travel to the States of Texas and Florida for the conduct of County business unless the Chief Executive Officer determines that the failure to authorize such travel would seriously harm the County’s interests.”
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Protesters Plan Rally at Disney’s California HQ: ‘They Crossed a Line in the Sand’
Hold the Line founder Sean Feucht is speaking out as he plans a rally outside Disney’s California headquarters in protest of what many critics call the corporation’s “woke” agenda.
Feucht weighed in on growing parental backlash on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday, warning the once-loved family-friendly company will feel the effects of its left-leaning politics.
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UK PM Boris Johnson Says Biological Males Should Not Compete in Women’s Sports
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he believes biological men should not compete in female sporting events.
Johnson voiced his “controversial” opinion after concerns that biological male Emily Bridges could participate in the Commonwealth games. Bridges was recently ruled ineligible for the competition.
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YouTube is Emailing Users to Say “Members of the Community” Are “Concerned” About Their Comments
YouTube’s “Community Outreach Team” has been emailing users to tell them that “members of the community were concerned about some of the comments you’ve posted on YouTube.”
The emails, forwarded to Reclaim The Net by YouTube users, don’t tell users which of their comments allegedly caused concern to members of the community and instead urges them to take a survey.
“After you take the survey, someone from our team may follow up to better understand your feedback,” YouTube’s email adds.
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