Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/30/2022

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of the Soviet Union, has died at the age of 91. Mr. Gorbachev, who presided over the U.S.S.R. at the end of the Cold War, died in the hospital after a long struggle with illness.

In other news, sectarian violence in Baghdad has left at least 30 people dead and many others wounded.

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

Thanks to Dean, JW, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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.

Financial Crisis
» Canadians More Concerned About Inflation Than Climate Change: Government Research
» German Inflation Quickens to Record as ECB Weighs Next Hike
 
USA
» Andy Ngo Reports: Portland Street Mob Shoots at Elderly Driver, Accidentally Kills One of Their Own
» Arizona Supreme Court Kills Soros-Funded Ballot Initiative
» Biden Approval Falls, Holding Near Low End of His Presidency, Reuters/Ipsos Finds
» California to Punish Doctors Who Spread COVID ‘Misinformation’
» Colorado Police Forced to Pay Out After Violating First Amendment When it Deleted Critical FB Comments
» CRT Infects Military Academies, Medical Schools, Bill Jacobson Says
» Elon Musk Cites Whistleblower in Bid to Dump Twitter Deal
» FBI ‘Unraveling’ or in ‘Damage Control’ As Hunter Biden Probe Agent Reportedly Resigns, Prosecutor Says
» Google is Blocking Trump’s Truth Social App for “Insufficient Content Moderation”
» Gov. Ron DeSantis Just Promised ‘By Far the Biggest Tax Cuts in the History of the State of Florida’
» Grassley, Johnson Call for Facebook to Turn Over Communications With FBI Over Hunter Biden Story
» Indianapolis Man Arrested in Shooting of 3 Dutch Soldiers
» Man Freed by Kamala Harris-Backed Bail Fund Charged With Murder
» Mask Theater: Biden Removes Face Covering Before Boarding Air Force One
» Minnesota Proposes to Require Teachers to Use Critical Race Theory. Here’s What Parents Need to Know.
» No Bail for Robbery Suspect Accused of Stabbing, Biting Good Samaritan
» Oakland School Shooting That Wounded Teen Wasn’t Deliberate
» Ohio Father Cleared of Charges After Fatally Shooting Daughter’s Ex-Boyfriend
» Student Who Nearly Died After COVID Vax Granted Booster Exemption Following Outrage Over Denial
» US Voters Wary of New IRS Agents — Poll
» Washington DC Carjacking Incidents Continue to Rise Since 2019, With Majority of Arrests Involving Juveniles
 
Canada
» Danielle Smith Pledges to Ban College and University Vaccine Mandates
» Environment Canada Confirms the Counter Signal Documents Are ‘Authentic’
» Mendicino Pledges to Rush Through Controversial “Online Safety” Bill
» Trial of Freedom Convoy Organizers Tamara Lich, Chris Barber Set for September 2023
» Woman With Chemical Sensitivities Chose Medically-Assisted Death After Failed Bid to Get Better Housing
 
Europe and the EU
» Bulgaria to Double Reserve Capacity at New Greek LNG Terminal
» France: Jean-Marie Le Pen Regrets the ‘Media Absence’ Of RN Deputies
» French Tax Authorities Deploy AI Software to Find 20,000 Undeclared Swimming Pools
» Germany and France Want TikTokers Deployed Against Russia — Bloomberg
» Germany: Dessau Craftsmen Organize Mass Protest Against War
» Hungary Seeks Increased Gas Supplies From Gazprom — Foreign Minister
» Some Websites Go Offline in Austria After Sweeping Block Against Cloudflare Ips
» UK: #BoycottStarbucks Trends After Starbucks Announces It’s Going Cashless
» UK: A Strange Carnival
» UK: Calls for Notting Hill Carnival to be Scrapped After Another Weekend of Mass Violence & Criminality
» UK: Notting Hill Carnival: Rapper Takayo Nembhard Stabbed to Death
 
Middle East
» Baghdad, Iraq Violence Leaves at Least 30 Dead, Cleric Tells Protesters to Withdraw
 
Russia
» Mikhail Gorbachev, Former Soviet Leader Who Oversaw End of Cold War, Dead at 91
» Russia Releases New Estimate of Ukrainian Counter-Offensive Losses
 
South Asia
» India: Strong Hindu Retaliation in Dewas (MP) For Alleged Kidnapping a Dalit Girl by a Muslim Youth
 
Far East
» China’s Secretive Work in Biotechnology
» China Threatens to Destroy Elon Musk’s Starlink
 
Australia — Pacific
» Australians Warned to Prepare for a Power Shortage as Coal and Gas is Taken Off the Market From 2023
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» South African Supreme Court Rules Anti-White “Kill the Boers” Song is Not Hate Speech
 
Latin America
» The Food Industry Has Been Selling You Bugs for Years and You Didn’t Know it
 
Immigration
» Belgium: Teen Girls Sexually Assaulted by Asylum Seekers at Swimming Pool
» ‘Sanctuary City’ NYC Buckles as Migrant Hotel, Intake Center Plans Fall Apart
» UK: Albanian Migrants Crossing the Channel Will Face Checks by Police From Their Own Country Who Will be Stationed at Dover Under New Plans to Fast-Track the Return of Criminals
» Video: Reporter Asks White House “How Come Migrants Are Allowed to Come in Unvaccinated, But World-Class Tennis Players Are Not?”
 
Culture Wars
» Breaking: PV Exposes Woke Assistant Principal Bragging About Indoctrinating Kids, Refusing to Hire Catholic Teachers
» California Assembly Passes Bill to Become ‘A Refuge State for Trans Kids and Their Parents’
» Federal Court Ruling on Gender Identity Upends Civil Rights Law
» Northern Va School District Orientation Teaches Students on Gender Identity ‘Non-Disclosure’: Report
» Staffer for Soros-Backed DA’s Office Has History of Ridiculing White Americans and Conservatives, Tweets Show
» Ten-Year-Old ‘Trans Model’ With Trans Mother to Have Surgery at 16
 

Canadians More Concerned About Inflation Than Climate Change: Government Research

As governments across Canada continue to tout the importance of combatting climate change, internal government research finds the primary concern for Canadians is the rising costs of goods and services caused by inflation.

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, inflation is a more significant concern for Canadians than crime, terrorism or climate change, finds the department of finance report titled ‘Research On The State Of The Economy.’

“The main economic issue of concern was clearly inflation and prices,” reads the report.

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

German Inflation Quickens to Record as ECB Weighs Next Hike

German inflation accelerated to the most since the euro was introduced on soaring energy prices, bolstering calls for a jumbo interest-rate increase when the European Central Bank meets next week.

Consumer prices in Europe’s biggest economy, calculated under European Union harmonized standards, jumped 8.8% from a year ago in August, matching the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of analysts.

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

Andy Ngo Reports: Portland Street Mob Shoots at Elderly Driver, Accidentally Kills One of Their Own

Shocking video has emerged on social media showing scenes of deadly and fiery chaos at lawless street occupations in Portland, Ore. over the weekend.

At one of the street racing takeovers on Sunday night near the Expo Center attended by hundreds, an elderly man in a van appeared to be caught in the road before being violently attacked by an armed mob. Video posted on social media shows that as he desperately attempted to reverse and drive away while being attacked, he backed into a car.

A man in the crowd then fires at least 18 rounds at his fleeing van. A follow-up video shows the crowd catching up with the elderly man who had stopped on a patch of grass. He appeared to be in shock and was bleeding heavily.

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

Arizona Supreme Court Kills Soros-Funded Ballot Initiative

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Friday against allowing a ballot initiative that would overturn new voter integrity laws in the state.

In a unanimous ruling, the court found that there were not enough valid signatures on a petition submitted to place an initiative on the ballot that would overturn recently passed election reform laws, according to Breitbart.

The initiative, financed in part by billionaire George Soros, fell 1,458 short of the required 237,645 signatures to place it on the November ballot, the report said.

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

Biden Approval Falls, Holding Near Low End of His Presidency, Reuters/Ipsos Finds

President Joe Biden’s public approval rating fell modestly this week, a poor sign for his Democratic Party’s hopes in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll completed on Tuesday.

The two-day national poll found that 38% of Americans approve of Biden’s job performance.

While Biden’s approval rating hit 41% last week, it has been mostly below 40% since mid-June despite a string of Democratic legislative victories that Biden’s allies hope will help them defend their narrow congressional majorities in November.

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

California to Punish Doctors Who Spread COVID ‘Misinformation’

California’s Legislature on Monday passed a bill that would allow regulators to punish doctors for spreading misinformation and disinformation about Covid-19 vaccinations and treatments.

AB 2098, if signed by Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom, would designate spreading false or misleading medical information to patients as “unprofessional conduct,” subject to punishment by the Medical Board of California which licenses doctors. Punishments could include suspending or revoking a doctor’s license to practice medicine in the state.

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

Colorado Police Forced to Pay Out After Violating First Amendment When it Deleted Critical FB Comments

The city of Woodland Park, in Colorado, will pay $65,000 in settlement over comments that were deleted on both the city’s and police department’s Facebook pages.

In 2018, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, Colorado Springs resident Delbert Sgaggio, wrote on the Woodland Park Police Department’s Facebook page: “You target sick kids to get your overtime pay/ … That’s why you are a pig.”

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

CRT Infects Military Academies, Medical Schools, Bill Jacobson Says

Critical race theory has marched its way through many of America’s educational institutions. Angry elementary school parents noticed during the pandemic that their kids’ teachers were more inclined to teach them that white people were evil than to teach them to read.

Unfortunately, critical race theory—which views everything through the lenses of race and oppression—also has found fertile ground in America’s colleges and universities. More disturbingly, medical schools and military academies have fallen victim to it.

William “Bill” Jacobson, a law professor at Cornell Law School and founder of Legal Insurrection, has been tracking which institutions teach critical race theory, and how deep the rot goes, in a database at criticalrace.org. It’s not pretty, he says.

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

Elon Musk Cites Whistleblower in Bid to Dump Twitter Deal

Twitter didn’t just distort the number of bots and spam accounts on its platform, it deceived regulators about its vulnerability to security threats, Elon Musk’s attorneys have charged. The allegations are part of the Tesla tycoon’s latest effort to tear up the deal he made in April to acquire Twitter for $44 billion.

The billionaire’s legal team filed a subpoena for “documents and communications” to support some of the claims made by former Twitter security chief Peiter ‘Mudge’ Zatko, who was fired from the company earlier this year before becoming a whistleblower.

Zatko alleged Twitter violated a 2011 consent decree on data privacy from the Federal Trade Commission and generally disregarded its “obligations under data privacy, unfair trade practice, and consumer protection laws and regulations.” The company supposedly gave agents of the Indian government access to confidential user data, an act so egregious it could constitute a “Company Material Adverse Effect“ and scuttle the deal, Musk’s lawyers wrote.

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

FBI ‘Unraveling’ or in ‘Damage Control’ As Hunter Biden Probe Agent Reportedly Resigns, Prosecutor Says

The FBI appears to be “unraveling” from the inside as allegations mount that the agency’s behavior in the Hunter Biden laptop story may have violated federal law enforcement norms, a former Utah federal prosecutor told Fox News on Tuesday.

Brett Tolman told “The Story” that recent actions and overtures from within the bureau and the Justice Department are either “an unraveling … or perhaps it’s damage control.”

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

Google is Blocking Trump’s Truth Social App for “Insufficient Content Moderation”

Tech giant Google is preventing former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social app from going live in its Google Play Android app store and has cited “insufficient content moderation” as the reason for the holdup.

A Google spokesperson told Axios: “On Aug. 19, we notified Truth Social of several violations of standard policies in their current app submission and reiterated that having effective systems for moderating user-generated content is a condition of our terms of service for any app to go live on Google Play.”

A source that spoke to Axios added that Google’s concerns are related to “physical threats and incitements to violence.”

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

Gov. Ron DeSantis Just Promised ‘By Far the Biggest Tax Cuts in the History of the State of Florida’

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Tuesday that Florida is about to see the biggest tax cuts in the history of the state.

“We are going to roll out our tax package for next year, probably in the next couple of weeks, and that is going to be by far the biggest tax cuts in the history of the state of Florida, so stay tuned for that,” DeSantis said at a press event in Live Oak, Florida, focused on infrastructure.

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

Grassley, Johnson Call for Facebook to Turn Over Communications With FBI Over Hunter Biden Story

Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., are calling on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to turn over communications between government agencies and Facebook employees regarding Hunter Biden after Zuckerberg admitted that his company censored news articles about the president’s son after the FBI reached out.

In a letter to Zuckerberg sent Monday, the senators said the CEO’s recent revelation that the FBI told Facebook employees to be on “high alert” for Russian propaganda before the 2020 election raised new questions after a whistleblower previously alleged that the FBI worked to downplay stories about Hunter Biden’s laptop.

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

Indianapolis Man Arrested in Shooting of 3 Dutch Soldiers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis police arrested a man Tuesday in connection with a shooting over the weekend that left one Dutch soldier dead and two wounded.

Shamar Duncan, 22, of Indianapolis, was arrested on a preliminary charge of murder, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said.

Duncan was being held in jail and will not be eligible for release from jail while the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office reviews the case, police said.

Duncan’s arrest did not appear in online court records, and it wasn’t clear whether he has an attorney who might comment on the case.

A 26-year-old member of the Dutch Commando Corps, identified by U.S. authorities as Simmie Poetsema, died of his injuries “surrounded by family and colleagues,” the Dutch Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.

           — Hat tip: JW [Return to headlines]
 

Man Freed by Kamala Harris-Backed Bail Fund Charged With Murder

A Minnesota man who’s release from jail was secured by a bail fund that Vice President Kamala Harris contributed to and promoted has been arrested for murder. Shawn Michael Tillman’s bail is currently set at $2 million.

In May, 33-year-old Shawn Michael Tillman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly shot and killed a 37-year-old man on a downtown St. Paul, Minnesota light rail platform, according to KSTP. This after having been released on bail for a prior charge of indecent exposure.

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

Mask Theater: Biden Removes Face Covering Before Boarding Air Force One

A new video clip shows Joe Biden climbing the steps to Air Force One wearing a face mask, only to remove it immediately before he enters the plane.

The footage is yet another example of the absurd theater that still surrounds mask wearing.

“Biden wearing a mask while alone outdoors, then taking it off to enter crowded indoor space. Isn’t science amazing?” commented Dr. David Eli.

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

Minnesota Proposes to Require Teachers to Use Critical Race Theory. Here’s What Parents Need to Know.

Parents are spreading “disinformation and hysteria around critical race theory,” a former teacher recently told NPR.

“Teachers can barely afford the resources for their own curriculum [so] it’s laughable that they’d shell out money [to teach] a college course,” he said.

College, of course, is the place where radical activists claim that critical race theory is found, not in K-12 classrooms.

Such claims would be laughable, absent evidence that state officials actually require teachers to teach critical race theory, a theory that that in fact advocates discrimination and views everything through the lens of skin color.

Earlier this year, Minnesota’s board for teacher licensure, which sets standards for teacher certification in the state, proposed changing standards for K-12 teachers to include training on “intersectionality,” one of critical race theory’s central ideas.

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

No Bail for Robbery Suspect Accused of Stabbing, Biting Good Samaritan

MALDEN, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A man accused of stealing a woman’s purse and attacking a delivery driver who tried to stop him appeared in court on Tuesday, but hid his face.

Prosecutors said 26-year-old Jayson Seay of Peabody followed the woman Monday afternoon as she left a Citizens Bank ATM in Malden.

The woman told police she heard footsteps behind her, and a masked man dressed in all black grabbed her purse.

           — Hat tip: Roger [Return to headlines]
 

Oakland School Shooting That Wounded Teen Wasn’t Deliberate

OAKLAND, Calif. — A school shooting in east Oakland that wounded a 13-year-old boy and left another student in custody wasn’t intentional, police said Tuesday.

“Evidence shows the incident was not a deliberate school shooting. At this time, it does not appear that the victim was the intended target,” a Police Department tweet said.

No other details were supplied.

Reports of a shooting sent officers to Madison Park Academy in the Sobrante Park neighborhood about 1:30 p.m. Monday.

They found a 13-year-old boy with a gunshot wound, and a 12-year-old boy ran away after the shooting but was quickly taken into custody, authorities said.

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Ohio Father Cleared of Charges After Fatally Shooting Daughter’s Ex-Boyfriend

Following a fatal shooting captured on a homeowner’s Ring doorbell, a grand jury has decided against indicting the homeowner.

On July 31, 22-year-old James Rayl was captured on doorbell footage attempting to force his way into the home of his ex-girlfriend in the 2900 block of North Luther Road, Sydney, Ohio, according to local news.

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

Student Who Nearly Died After COVID Vax Granted Booster Exemption Following Outrage Over Denial

Students hoping to overcome campus COVID mandates that now flout CDC guidance may be heartened by the quick reversal of a major public university that was outed for requiring a student who nearly died following vaccination to get a booster.

Michigan State University quickly backtracked after the public learned it had rejected a medical exemption for a student who suffered a life-threatening blood clot two months after his second Pfizer dose, which MSU also forced him to take.

It granted the unnamed student’s request a day after lawyer Jenin Younes, whose New Civil Liberties Alliance previously challenged its employee vaccine mandate in court, tweeted the rejection and said she had “verification/documentation.”

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

US Voters Wary of New IRS Agents — Poll

Some 49% of American voters believe that the 87,000 new Internal Revenue Service agents to be hired by the administration of Joe Biden will target either the middle class or the president’s political opponents, a poll has found. Democrats are more likely to believe that the agents will focus on the wealthy, as Biden has claimed.

Released on Tuesday, the Trafalgar Group poll found that 33% of voters said the agents would be hired to “audit middle class Americans and small businesses,” 31% said that “wealthy Americans and large corporations” would be targeted, while 16% said that the true purpose of hiring so many new agents is to “target the political opponents of those in power.”

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

Washington DC Carjacking Incidents Continue to Rise Since 2019, With Majority of Arrests Involving Juveniles

Carjacking incidents in Washington, D.C., continue to rise since 2019, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) statistics show.

On Sunday evening, two juvenile suspects made Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. the latest of more than 300 victims impacted by carjackings far this year after they shot and wounded the football player on H Street — a busy strip of restaurants and grocery stores between Capitol Hill and Northeast D.C. neighborhoods.

MPD has recorded 326 total carjackings between Jan. 1 and Aug. 30 of this year, representing a 27% increase compared to the same time period last year, when MPD had recorded 264 carjackings. Of those carjacking incidents reported as of Aug. 30, 73% have involved guns.

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

Danielle Smith Pledges to Ban College and University Vaccine Mandates

Alberta United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership candidate Danielle Smith is pledging to ban the province’s post-secondary schools from imposing vaccine mandates on students.

In a social media post, Smith said, “it was wrong for Alberta to deny access and sanction post-secondary students for choosing not to be vaccinated.”

“This decision damaged the education and mental health of thousands of Alberta’s best and brightest,” she added. “It can’t happen again.”

Colleges and universities in Alberta imposed strict vaccine mandates last year — taking away a negative test alternative that was previously offered.

Smith says that if elected, she will make it illegal for post-secondary institutions to deny access or place sanctions on students over their vaccination status.

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

Environment Canada Confirms the Counter Signal Documents Are ‘Authentic’

Environment and Climate Change Canada has confirmed documents published by The Counter Signal revealing a new Winnipeg facility hosting a firearms armoury are “authentic.”

Last week, The Counter Signal reported that the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is building a new facility, which includes biological labs, media relations offices, intelligence facilities and “controlled quiet rooms.”

In an emailed statement, Environment Canada confirmed documents first published by The Counter Signal are “authentic” — and that some enforcement officers are entitled to weapons to carry out their duties.

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

Mendicino Pledges to Rush Through Controversial “Online Safety” Bill

On Monday, Liberal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino pledged to rush through internet censorship legislation once parliament returns this fall.

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Mendicino said his government would “lean in” on the incoming “online safety” bill.

“I assure you that Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez and others within our government are leaning in on this and will bring forward the legislation as quickly as possible,” said Mendicino.

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

Trial of Freedom Convoy Organizers Tamara Lich, Chris Barber Set for September 2023

In January, the Freedom Convoy descended on Ottawa to protest the Trudeau Liberals’ Covid-19 regulations. After more than three weeks of occupying the capital’s streets, organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were arrested, and the next day, the thousands of protestors were dispersed by police, in many cases with force.

In the months since, both Lich and Barber have been in and out of court and prison, but have been released on bail on the condition that they not speak with one another or others associated with the convoy. Their trial is set to take place in September 2023.

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

Woman With Chemical Sensitivities Chose Medically-Assisted Death After Failed Bid to Get Better Housing

A 51-year-old Ontario woman with severe sensitivities to chemicals chose medically-assisted death after her desperate search for affordable housing free of cigarette smoke and chemical cleaners failed, advocates say.

The woman’s assisted death appears to be a first in the world for someone diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), a chronic condition also referred to as an environmental illness or environmental allergies, say patient support groups and doctors familiar with her case.

“The government sees me as expendable trash, a complainer, useless and a pain in the a**,” ‘Sophia’ said in a video filmed on Feb. 14, eight days before her death, and shared with CTV News by one of her friends.

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

Bulgaria to Double Reserve Capacity at New Greek LNG Terminal

SOFIA, Aug 29 (Reuters) — Bulgaria has reached an agreement in principle to double its reserved capacity at a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility…

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

France: Jean-Marie Le Pen Regrets the ‘Media Absence’ Of RN Deputies

The former leader of the National Front, now Rassemblement National (RN), in French weekly JDD noted a certain “media absence” of RN deputies, calling on them to “react” by being “aggressive towards the authorities”.

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

French Tax Authorities Deploy AI Software to Find 20,000 Undeclared Swimming Pools

Artificial intelligence software paired with the latest satellite imagery has opened new frontiers for the French government to find thousands of undeclared residential pools that can be taxed, reported The Guardian.

Developed by Google and Capgemini, the AI software uses aerial images to identify residential pools and cross-checks land registry databases in real-time to see if the pools were registered with the government. If pools weren’t registered, the AI tool flags the property for further investigation by tax authorities.

So far, the AI tool has uncovered 20,356 undeclared pools.

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

Germany and France Want TikTokers Deployed Against Russia — Bloomberg

TikTokers and YouTubers could help the EU drive a wedge between the Russian government and the people, Germany and France have reportedly told other members of the bloc.

Ideas on how its members could influence Russian citizens were formulated in a document circulated ahead of this week’s high-level EU meeting in Prague, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The plan is meant for discussion behind closed doors, but the news agency said it had studied the document.

Berlin and Paris suggested enrolling popular video bloggers on platforms including YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and VK to help disseminate EU-funded teaching courses on “media literacy,” according to Bloomberg. The courses will supposedly explain to Russians why they should dismiss “Russian propaganda” and trust “independent information” that counters what the Russian government says.

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

Germany: Dessau Craftsmen Organize Mass Protest Against War

The District Craftsmen’s Association of Anhalt Dessau-Roßlau in Germany held a mass rally on the market square in Dessau on Sunday under the motto “No arms deliveries to Ukraine! Peace instead of war!” The participants wanted to send a signal against war as well as sanctions and for peace.

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

Hungary Seeks Increased Gas Supplies From Gazprom — Foreign Minister

BUDAPEST, Aug 29 (Reuters) — Hungary will continue talks with Russia on additional gas supplies and expects to reach a deal with Gazprom to boost supplies…

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Some Websites Go Offline in Austria After Sweeping Block Against Cloudflare Ips

Last week, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Austria received new instructions to block a new batch of domains and IP addresses, including the IP addresses of security and content delivery provider Cloudflare. The instructions came from legal action taken by Satel Film GmbH, DOR Film, and collecting society Wahrnehmung von Leistungsschutzrechten GmbH.

Non-compliance with blocking instructions can lead to legal action. So the ISPs had no choice, despite the fact that blocking the Cloudflare IP addresses affected a wide variety of non-piracy websites.

Local outlet Der Standard reported that Austrians started complaining about the unexpected website outages.

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

UK: #BoycottStarbucks Trends After Starbucks Announces It’s Going Cashless

A Starbucks store with a sign declaring that it will be going cashless has sparked widespread outrage and more than a little speculation, with many believing that this will apply to every store in the UK.

#BoycottStarbucks began to trend early on August 30 after a photo taken by British broadcaster and political commentator Sophie Corcoran went viral the day prior.

In the photo, a sign with the company’s logo reads, “WE’RE GOING CASHLESS. From 1st October 2022, we will only be accepting card, contactless and Starbucks rewards payments.”

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

UK: A Strange Carnival

Hundreds of arrests, scores of violent assaults, sexual assaults, theft, vandalism, and one fatal stabbing.

Police describe Notting Hill Carnival as “largely positive and good natured.”

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

UK: Calls for Notting Hill Carnival to be Scrapped After Another Weekend of Mass Violence & Criminality

There are calls to scrap the annual Notting Hill Carnival entirely after another weekend of criminality and mass violence left one person dead, over 200 arrested and 74 police officers injured.

The carnival, which was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID pandemic, is an open air music festival intended to celebrate multiculturalism, British African Caribbean and British Indo-Caribbean culture.

However, casting doubt on the claim that “diversity is a strength,” the carnival is routinely marred by mass sexual assaults, vandalism, thefts and innumerable violent assaults.

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

UK: Notting Hill Carnival: Rapper Takayo Nembhard Stabbed to Death

A 21-year-old who died after being stabbed at Notting Hill Carnival has been named as rapper Takayo Nembhard.

Mr Nembhard, known as TKorStretch, from Bristol, was attacked in Ladbroke Grove at about 20:00 BST on Monday.

Police had to pull him out of a huge crowd and provide emergency first aid. He later died in a west London hospital.

The fatal attack was one of seven reported stabbings at the event on Monday evening.

The other six resulted in non-fatal injuries.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Baghdad, Iraq Violence Leaves at Least 30 Dead, Cleric Tells Protesters to Withdraw

At least 30 were confirmed dead in Iraq Tuesday as fighting continues in Baghdad following the resignation of a top Shiite leader Monday.

Gun fire has continued to ring out in the nation’s capital as leaders grapple with Iraq’s greatest political crisis since the U.S. invasion in 2003.

Protests once again erupted in Iraq’s Green Zone — the center of Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies — after Muqtada al-Sadr said he had had enough of politics and stepped down from his cleric role.

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

Mikhail Gorbachev, Former Soviet Leader Who Oversaw End of Cold War, Dead at 91

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has reportedly died at the age of 91 after a long health battle, according to Russian news agencies.

The Tass, RIA Novosti and Interfax news agencies cited the Central Clinical Hospital. Gorbachev’s office said earlier that he was undergoing treatment at the hospital after a serious and long illness. No further details were given.

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

Russia Releases New Estimate of Ukrainian Counter-Offensive Losses

Russian forces have taken out hundreds of Ukrainian troops and dozens of tanks and armored military vehicles after repelling an ill-fated offensive in the south of the country, the Defense Ministry claimed on Tuesday.

A statement added that officials believe the failerd operation was mounted at the personal order of President Vladimir Zelensky.

“The effective actions by the Russian forces destroyed 48 tanks, 46 infantry fighting vehicles, 37 other armored combat vehicles, eight pickups with heavy machine guns and more than 1,200 Ukrainian servicemen in one day,” they outlined. The Ministry added that Kiev sustained these losses during a botched offensive whose directions led to Nikolaev, Krivoy Rog, and other cities in southern Ukraine.

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

India: Strong Hindu Retaliation in Dewas (MP) For Alleged Kidnapping a Dalit Girl by a Muslim Youth

Ruckus in Udaynagar of Dewas (Madhya Pradesh), the irritated Hindu mob vandalized the vehicles, and a religious place.

Shalini Chouhan | HENB | Bhopal | Aug 29, 2022:: In Udayanagar of Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, there was a ruckus when a Dalit girl of Hindu faith went with a Muslim youth. The family of the girl and neighbors created a ruckus alleging kidnapping. A bandh was called in the city and shops were kept closed demanding the immediate arrest of the youth. Hindu public also demonstrated with a demand of action to arrest the accused by gheraoing the police station. A procession was also taken out in the area. Stones were thrown at the house of the accused and his two relatives. The mob also vandalized a Mosque and damaged the mikes. Two bikes and a car belonging to the family of the accused were also damaged. Police arrived at the spot immediately to handle the situation.

A case of abduction

The girl’s brother, while filing a police report, said, “We are four brothers and sisters. A sister and brother went to school. Father had gone to Indore. Me and the kidnapped sister were fertilizing our field at 2 pm on Friday. Meanwhile, Farzan (20) son of Sajjuddin came and called my sister (19) by name and dragged her out of the field. After this, he took the sister on a bike and took her away”.

This case has been portrayed by the Hindu side as a part of a Love jihad entanglement.

Police took out flag march

A bandh was kept in Udayanagar since morning demanding to nab the accused. The police assured to nab the accused within 24 hours, after which the situation returned to normal. Bagli SDM S. Solanki also reached the spot and handled the situation. A flag march was taken out in the city. SDM Solanki spoke to the victim’s family. The mob broke the vehicles of the relatives of the accused youth.

Police registered a case also for vandalism

Though the situation in Udainagar is currently under control, police force has been deployed in the city as a precaution. It is being said that the case happened on Friday. The police have registered a case against the accused youth Farzan. According to the sources, two Hindu people named Shera Yadav and Shubham alwong with 20-25 unknown persons were also accused in the vandalism case as well. However, the police denied passing any remark openly on the issue.

           — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari [Return to headlines]
 

China’s Secretive Work in Biotechnology

While U.S. intelligence toils to identify the exact origins of the SARS-COV2 (COVID-19) virus in China, there are other good reasons to be concerned about Chinese work in biotechnology that could be used against us and our allies in a crisis or conflict.

Indeed, the State Department’s recent report to Congress on arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament treaties and agreements expresses continued concern about China’s compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention.

While the Biological Weapons Convention allows member states to engage in peaceful research (e.g., vaccine development) to counter and protect against microbial and biological agents and toxins, it prohibits their development, possession, stockpiling, or use for offensive (military) purposes.

With concern, the State Department writes:

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) continued to engage in activities with dual-use [i.e., civilian and/or military use] applications, which raise concerns regarding its compliance with Article I of the BWC.

In addition, the United States does not have sufficient information to determine whether the PRC has eliminated its assessed historical biological warfare (BW) program, as required under Article II of the Convention.

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

China Threatens to Destroy Elon Musk’s Starlink

Chinese military researchers recently called for the destruction of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites, an extraordinary threat for a state to make against a private foreign enterprise.

In December 2021, China filed a complaint with the United Nations, claiming that two of Musk’s Starlink satellites had nearly collided with the Tianhe module of its Tiangong Space Station — in April and October of 2021 — and that Chinese astronauts had been forced to maneuver the module of the station to avoid the collision. Starlink is part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the satellites are part of a plan to make internet coverage from the satellites available worldwide, with the goal of launching nearly 12,000 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

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

Australians Warned to Prepare for a Power Shortage as Coal and Gas is Taken Off the Market From 2023

A massive investment in power generation, storage and transmission is needed to ensure coal and gas plant closures don’t impact Australian homes and businesses.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

South African Supreme Court Rules Anti-White “Kill the Boers” Song is Not Hate Speech

South Africa’s Supreme Court has ruled that the “Kill the Boers” song, which advocates for killing white people, is not hate speech.

Yes, really.

The Equality Division of the court ruled that the song, which celebrates the killing of Dutch settlers in South Africa, is protected under freedom of expression.

The song includes the lyrics, “The cowards are afraid. Shoot the Boers, shoot, shoot,” and is routinely played at rallies for the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, which has previously advocated racial violence against white people.

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

The Food Industry Has Been Selling You Bugs for Years and You Didn’t Know it

Small subtropical bugs have been crushed up and sold in popular food products for years, and most people are totally oblivious.

The cochineal is a small-scale insect that lives and feasts on cacti in Mexico, the southwestern United States, and subtropical regions of South America.

When the females are dried and crushed, the creepy crawlies produce a powerful red dye that’s used to colour everything from fish that might look grey and unappetizing and canned cherries to food products that are more likely to contain artificial flavours like Fruitopia strawberry drinks, ice-cream, and ketchup.

Basically, any product you see in the grocery store that appears red or pink very well could be getting its colour from crushed up cochineal.

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

Belgium: Teen Girls Sexually Assaulted by Asylum Seekers at Swimming Pool

Multiple young girls were sexually assaulted by male ‘asylum seekers’ at a swimming pool in Belgium last week, according to reports.

The disturbing chain of events unfolded on August 25 in Ghent, capital city of the East Flanders province.

A 13-year-old girl was attacked by two migrants who reportedly grabbed her breasts and genitals at the Lago Rozebroeken aquatic center, PAL NWS reports.

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

‘Sanctuary City’ NYC Buckles as Migrant Hotel, Intake Center Plans Fall Apart

While New York City signaled plenty of virtue over their “sanctuary city” status, the Big Apple failed to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to actual resources, and are currently drowning amid a surge in illegal immigrants after Texas began sending busloads of border crossers.

Now, the Department of Homeless Services tells the NY Post that it’s abandoned a plan to operate an intake and processing center for the new arrivals, alongside a 600-room shelter at the ROW NYC hotel on 8th Ave. in Midtown — a yet-to-open facility that was supposed to be up and running two weeks ago.

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

UK: Albanian Migrants Crossing the Channel Will Face Checks by Police From Their Own Country Who Will be Stationed at Dover Under New Plans to Fast-Track the Return of Criminals

Albanian migrants crossing the Channel could soon be met by police from their own country at Dover to have their criminal records checked.

Albanian police would assist UK border forces by checking the fingerprints and biometric data of migrants on their own databases.

Home Office officials will meet with Albanian Police today to agree a plan for the country’s police officers to be stationed at British Ports.

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

Video: Reporter Asks White House “How Come Migrants Are Allowed to Come in Unvaccinated, But World-Class Tennis Players Are Not?”

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy made another salient point Monday when he asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to explain why unvaccinated migrants are walking into the country every day, but tennis star Novak Djokovic has been denied energy to compete in the U.S. Open.

Doocy asked Jean-Pierre “How come migrants are allowed to come into this country unvaccinated, but world-class tennis players are not?”

Of course Jean-Pierre had no answer as usual, stating that “The U.S. government cannot discuss the details of individual visa cases.”

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

Breaking: PV Exposes Woke Assistant Principal Bragging About Indoctrinating Kids, Refusing to Hire Catholic Teachers

In a new video released by Project Veritas on Tuesday, the Assistant Principle of Cos Cob Elementary School in Connecticut was captured boasting about how he doesn’t hire Catholic teachers, and how the teachers at the school sneak liberal ways of thinking into their teaching methods.

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

California Assembly Passes Bill to Become ‘A Refuge State for Trans Kids and Their Parents’

The California State Assembly passed a bill on Monday that would establish the state as a “refuge” for transgender children and their families.

The bill was introduced earlier this year by state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat who represents San Francisco and parts of San Mateo County.

“California must stand with LGBTQ kids and their families, especially when they’re under attack across the country,” Wiener said in a statement. “Parents should never be separated from their kids or criminalized for simply allowing them to be who they are.”

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

Federal Court Ruling on Gender Identity Upends Civil Rights Law

In a shocking and first-of-its-kind reading of a more than 30-year-old disability law, a federal judge ruled that the distress that results from a person feeling that he or she is the wrong sex is a disability that must be accommodated under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

If the opinion is left to stand, it would open the door for those who consider themselves transgender and feel clinically distressed to receive public accommodations in bathrooms, locker rooms, prisons, same-sex housing, and more.

U.S. Circuit Judge Diana Gribbon Motz of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals wrote the majority opinion for the divided three-judge panel in Williams v. Kincaid, holding that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, gender dysphoria is a “disability.” Judge Pamela Harris joined Motz’s opinion to form the majority.

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

Northern Va School District Orientation Teaches Students on Gender Identity ‘Non-Disclosure’: Report

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) subjected students to an orientation program in which they viewed a series of slides informing them of their “right” to not disclose their gender identity, among other contentious regulations.

The Washington Examiner obtained the slides the district presented to middle and high school students, which it noted were required material for all students. Attendees of the required orientation must take a test on the materials and affirm they understand the policies, the outlet reported, citing sources within the district.

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

Staffer for Soros-Backed DA’s Office Has History of Ridiculing White Americans and Conservatives, Tweets Show

A staffer with the left-wing Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Virginia has repeatedly ridiculed White Americans and conservative leaders on her personal Twitter account, according to a Fox News Digital review of the account.

“We are dangerously close to a civil war but it’s not North vs. South,” reads a 2018 tweet from Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Phillips. “Its White, Male, Christian, Heterosexual and Wealthy vs. Everyone Else. It’s not going to be fought with guns on a battlefield; but its going to be messy and divide families. #ChosingSides.”

Phillips has worked in the office since July 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile, and she previously worked as a law clerk and trial attorney since the 1990s in Virginia.

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

Ten-Year-Old ‘Trans Model’ With Trans Mother to Have Surgery at 16

A 10-year-old child, the world’s youngest transgender model, lives with her transgender mother and her mother’s trans partner.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

9 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/30/2022

  1. “Police describe Notting Hill Carnival as “largely positive and good natured.”

    “Mostly Peaceful” like the BLM/Antifa riots.

    • I can’t speak to the specific details of this year’s Carnival, Peter, but in earlier years when similar complaints were made, the statistics showed that given the number of people present, the crime rate per head attending was, if anything, lower than the average for London (which is bad enough). The (temporary) concentration of so many in such a small space made it appear worse than it was.

      Last time I went, with my young godson and his mother in the early 2000s, admittedly on the Children’s Day, I felt perfectly safe and welcome.

  2. There is one thing I would really like to know regarding Mikhail Gorbachev.
    According to rumors, some of them published in the SPIEGEL, it is said he offered the german delegation either a) the Kaliningrad (Königsberg) area or b) the entire Eastern areas (according to the Berlin Declaration of 1945 – and that means a lot of now-polish territory).
    According to said rumors then german foreign secretary Genscher fought tooth and nail against it.

    I would like to know:
    a) is this true
    b) if it is true what was offered and for what price
    c) how would the world look like if the offer (either one) had been true and been accepted.
    d) how would the other three victory powers (USA, GB F) have reacted if Gerrmany had accepted?

    • This is an interesting question. According to this –
      https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/wiedervereinigung-moskau-bot-verhandlungen-ueber-ostpreussen-an-a-695928.html
      the magazine Spiegel claims to have knowledge of a secret communication between diplomats at the time in which the Soviet side brought up the issue of Eastern Prussia. The wording does not suggest an actual offer was made, only that the Russians viewed it as inevitable that it would come up in the discussions. I think they probably were surprised by how far the Germans were already alienated from their former territories and the mere thought to ever go back there. I would also like to know what exactly went down in the talks back then but have the sinking feeling we’ll never know. Kohl and Genscher wrote their books I have still on the list of things to study, but I don’t fully trust that they revealed everything to the public or we would already know. The Russian side may still have something interesting in the archives or autobiographies of people involved which is more difficult to dig up through the language barrier. The way they have been treated by the West already before the current escalation may not motivate them too much to be proactive about it. And if there came forward a German with the language skill and the passion to investigate this, he could be pretty sure to make himself an enemy at home. Sad, really. Not even the truth will set you free.

  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s9ppTps0w4

    It’s hard to believe that the US left ballistic missiles to the Taliban because of the rush

    Taliban parade with ballistic missiles

    Taliban special forces held a military parade at the Bagram military base on the anniversary of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

    • I had a look at the clip, Elena, and saw only short-range tactical rockets. If you think about it, why would NATO have had ballistic missiles there?

      • I don’t know about rockets. About ballistic missiles it was written in a comment in the Iranian telegram channel. Or maybe it’s the difficulty of translating from Farsi into Russian.

      • Mark, they had tac missiles because when they launch them into the mouth of caves it sucks the O2 and collapses the caves thus trapping bad guys in them.

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