Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/2/2022

French President Emmanuel Macron said that Twitter needs to do more to stop users from posting dangerous misinformation. Meanwhile, China has asked tech companies to hire more people to monitor and censor dissidents on their platforms.

In other news, Switzerland is considering banning the use of electric cars due to the looming electricity shortage in Europe.

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

Thanks to Dean, JW, LP, MM, 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.

Financial Crisis
» Apple Forces Coinbase Wallet to Drop iPhone NFT Transfers or Pay Apple a Commission
» Coverage of Disgraced Crypto Honcho Sam Bankman-Fried’s Shocking Interview Under Microscope
» November Jobs Report Breakdown: Which Industries Hired the Most Workers?
 
USA
» ‘Blatantly Unconstitutional’: Strict Gun Control Law Faces New NRA-Backed Legal Challenge
» Breaking: Twitter Files Reveal Vijaya Gadde Behind Censorship of Hunter Biden Laptop Story
» Breaking: Former Twitter ‘Trust & Safety’ Boss Enraged by Publication of Hunter Biden Files, Claims Posting Names of Censors Puts Them ‘In Harm’s Way’
» Elon Musk Rips New York Times Article as ‘Utterly False’ For Claiming Major Rise in Hate Speech
» Elon Musk Reveals What Led to Twitter Suppressing Hunter Biden Story in 2020
» FBI Director Pushes for “Lawful Access” To Encrypted Messages
» FBI Met Weekly With Big Tech Ahead of the 2020 Election, Agent Testifies
» Flu is Back: Experts Previously Claimed Strains Became “Extinct” During COVID
» Hillary Clinton Gets Called ‘A Disgrace’ For Comparing USA Pro-Lifers to Brutal Afghanistan and Sudan Regimes
» IRS Warns Americans About $600 Threshold to Report Venmo, Cash App Payments
» Judge Orders Arizona County to Certify Disputed Election Results
» No Murder Charge for California Robber Who Fatally Shot Gas Station Clerk
» Rand Paul: Fauci Caused 7 Million People to Die; “We’ve Caught Him Red Handed, He Won’t Get Away”
» Republicans Plot to Investigate Social Media Censorship
» Secession Movements Gain Traction in US Amid Deepening Political Rifts: ‘a Long-Standing Problem’
» US Federal Government Pays $5M for Software to Turn Citizens Into Online “Misinformation” Responders
» Video: California Apple Store Ransacked by Thieves as Staff Warn Customers Not to Stop Them
 
Canada
» Justin Trudeau Blasted for Condemning China After His Own Restrictive Policies: ‘Look in the Mirror Tyrant’
» Regina Police Say ‘Criminal Act’ Caused Retallack Street Explosion
» Trudeau Liberals Discussed Sending in Army to Quash Freedom Convoy
 
Europe and the EU
» Demand for ‘Pure Blood’ Soars as Unvaccinated Blood Banks Launch
» EU’s Desire to Become a ‘Debt Community’ To Pay for Ukraine Will Ruin Europe for Generations, Warns Hungarian PM Viktor Orban
» France: Sexual Violence ‘Outside the Family’ Soared in 2021
» France: Macron Wants More Twitter Censorship to Stop People Saying “Crazy Things” About Vaccines, Pandemics, And War
» France to Look to Import Energy From Britain and Others as Winter Power Cuts Loom
» Hungary, Romania, Greece and Bulgaria Strengthen Gas Cooperation
» Julian Assange Appeals to European Court Over U.S. Extradition
» Switzerland Mulling Bans on Electric Car Use Amid Energy Shortages
» Too Late? Foolish Decision to Close Britain’s Biggest Gas Storage Site Reversed Amid Crisis
» Two-Thirds of French Concerned for Their Own Safety in Their Everyday Lives
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Israeli Officer Kills Palestinian Assailant in W. Bank, Police Say
 
Russia
» Archbishop of Canterbury: We Must Not Force Peace on Ukraine
» Archbishop of Canterbury Took Cover in Bomb Shelter Over Fears of Russian Missile Strike During Kyiv Trip: Justin Welby Slams ‘Great Disgrace That a European Country Has Air-Raid Warnings Nearly 80 Years After WWII’
» Odesa Explosion Injures Seven
» Putin Turns Down Biden Talks and Defends Russian Attacks on Ukraine’s Energy Grid
» Recognizing Russian Gains From War in Ukraine is Straight Path to Another World War, Warns Poland’s President
» Ukraine Says it Has Killed 90,000 Russian Troops and Lost 13,000 of Its Own — After Reports Putin’s Invaders Had Killed 100,000
 
South Asia
» India: Hindu Orgs Protest Muslim Business in Hindu Temples to Reject Halal
» V-Dem Institute Releases Another Bizarre Ranking, Places Pakistan and Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan Above India in Academic Freedom Index
 
Far East
» Apple CEO Torched for Dodging Questions About China Protests: ‘Shame on Him’
» China Tells Tech Giants to Hire More Censors — to Combat Rising Dissent
 
Australia — Pacific
» New Zealand Admits it Has Direct Access to Facebook Takedown Portal Where it Can Flag Content for Censorship
» Why Anthony Albanese’s Climate Change Goal WON’T be Reached by 2030 Even as Your Electricity Bills Soar by 56 Per Cent
» Will They Kick on for Drinks? Finland’s Dancing PM and Anthony Albanese Meet — as the European Leader Jokes About Her Reputation But Unveils a Tough Message
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Islamists Levy ‘Jizya Tax’ On Christians and Jews in Mozambique
» Presumed Fulani Raiders Murder Christian Couple in Nigeria
 
Latin America
» Streets of ‘Every City’ in Brazil Flooded With Citizens Protesting Election Fraud
 
Immigration
» Astonishing Moment Migrant PARAGLIDES Into Europe: First Known Case is Filmed by Stunned Spaniard as Man Flies Over Border From North African Enclave
» Majority of Britons Say Immigration Too High, Just Four Per Cent Say Immigration Too Low
» New Federal Data Shows 73,000 Illegal Immigrant “Gotaways” In ONE MONTH
» Parallel Society: Ukrainian Children in German Schools
 
Culture Wars
» Balenciaga’s Parent Company CEO Heads Auction House That Sold Art Sexualizing Children
» Diversity
» Furious Aussie Tradies Storm Into Balenciaga Store and Accuse Workers and Customers of ‘Supporting Child Abuse’: ‘You Should All be Ashamed’
» J.K. Rowling Sends Champagne After Woman Heckles Sturgeon Over Trans Self-ID Law
» New Disney CEO Drops the Hammer on ‘Woke’ Employees
» Planned Parenthood Director Claims Kids Are ‘Sexual Beings’ From Birth While Promoting ‘Useful’ Porn Literacy
» ‘Woke’ California Democrat Accused of Faking ‘Homophobic’ Threat
 

Apple Forces Coinbase Wallet to Drop iPhone NFT Transfers or Pay Apple a Commission

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced that it has disabled NFT transfers on its iOS app because of the App Store’s strict in-app purchase policy.

On Twitter, Coinbase wrote that Apple was demanding payments for gas fees using the App Store’s in-app purchase system, meaning Apple would get a 30% commission on the fees.

“For anyone who understands how NFTs and blockchains work, this is clearly not possible,” Coinbase wrote. “Apple’s proprietary In-App Purchase system does not support crypto, so we couldn’t comply even if we tried.”

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

Coverage of Disgraced Crypto Honcho Sam Bankman-Fried’s Shocking Interview Under Microscope

Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried spoke out on Wednesday for the first since his crypto exchange crumbled in an interview that Vox described as “a mesmerizing spectacle,” adding intrigue to the way news outlets cover the man who has been accused of attempting to “buy influence” with various donations to media organizations.

Vox, one of the numerous media outlets that Bankman-Fried attempted to bestow large sums of cash, covered the interview with a piece that critics felt softened FTX founder’s swift fall from grace. The Vox story, “Sam Bankman-Fried’s first post-scandal public interview was a mesmerizing spectacle,” also noted he “had been seen as a rare billionaire serious about using his wealth to improve the world following a philosophy known as effective altruism.”

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

November Jobs Report Breakdown: Which Industries Hired the Most Workers?

U.S. job growth came in stronger than expected in November as a rush of hiring at bars and restaurants helped to offset payroll losses in retail.

Employers added 263,000 jobs in November, the Labor Department said in its monthly payroll report released Friday, topping the 200,000 jobs forecast by Refinitiv economists. It marks a slight deceleration from the upwardly revised job gain of 284,000 recorded in October.

The unemployment rate, meanwhile, held steady at 3.7%.

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

‘Blatantly Unconstitutional’: Strict Gun Control Law Faces New NRA-Backed Legal Challenge

One of the strictest gun control laws in the nation is facing a new National Rifle Association-backed legal challenge as a federal judge prepares to decide whether to delay the measure’s implementation.

Two former Oregon lawmakers, a sporting goods store, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the Oregon State Shooting Association — the NRA’s state affiliate — filed the lawsuit Thursday, arguing the voter-approved Measure 114 places “severe and unprecedented burdens” on those seeking to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

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

Breaking: Twitter Files Reveal Vijaya Gadde Behind Censorship of Hunter Biden Laptop Story

On Friday, files released in regards to Twitter’s suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020 revealed that former Head of Legal, Police, and Trust Vijaya Gadde played a “key role” in the story’s suppression.

“The decision was made at the highest levels of the company, but without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey, with former head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde playing a key role,” wrote journalist Matt Taibbi.

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

Breaking: Former Twitter ‘Trust & Safety’ Boss Enraged by Publication of Hunter Biden Files, Claims Posting Names of Censors Puts Them ‘In Harm’s Way’

Former Head of Trust & Safety for Twitter Yoel Roth took to Mastadon to express his displeasure in the wake of the bombshell revelations regarding Twitter’s censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal

The files were released by Elon Musk and published by Matt Taibbi on Roth’s former platform and revealed that Roth was compicit in the censorship.

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

Elon Musk Rips New York Times Article as ‘Utterly False’ For Claiming Major Rise in Hate Speech

New Twitter owner Elon Musk blasted a New York Times article claiming there is an unprecedented rise in hate speech on his social media platform.

Musk alleged that the piece was “utterly false.”

Musk also claimed that “hate speech impressions” have declined in spite of user growth and promised that Twitter’s Safety account would publish data on the subject weekly.

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

Elon Musk Reveals What Led to Twitter Suppressing Hunter Biden Story in 2020

Twitter owner Elon Musk released bombshell revelations about what led the tech giant to suppress the Hunter Biden story in the final weeks of the 2020 presidential election.

After a lengthy delay, Musk outsourced his findings to Substack journalist Matt Taibbi, who published a lengthy thread about what had transpired behind the scenes at Twitter.

“Some of the first tools for controlling speech were designed to combat the likes of spam and financial fraudsters. Slowly, over time, Twitter staff and executives began to find more and more uses for these tools. Outsiders began petitioning the company to manipulate speech as well: first a little, then more often, then constantly,” Taibbi wrote. “By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets were routine. One executive would write to another: ‘More to review from the Biden team.’ The reply would come back: ‘Handled.’

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

FBI Director Pushes for “Lawful Access” To Encrypted Messages

FBI Director Christopher Wray last month spoke before the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and, among the many topics dedicated to “threats to the homeland,” he addressed that of encryption.

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

FBI Met Weekly With Big Tech Ahead of the 2020 Election, Agent Testifies

EXCLUSIVE — An FBI agent testified to Republican attorneys general this week that the FBI held weekly meetings with Big Tech companies in Silicon Valley ahead of the 2020 presidential election to discuss “disinformation” on social media and ask about efforts to censor that information.

On Tuesday, lawyers from the offices of Attorneys General Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Jeff Landry of Louisiana deposed FBI Supervisory Special Agent Elvis Chan as part of their lawsuit against the Biden administration. That suit accuses high-ranking government officials of working with giant social media companies “under the guise of combating misinformation” to achieve greater censorship.

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

Flu is Back: Experts Previously Claimed Strains Became “Extinct” During COVID

After Flu became virtually non-existent during the COVID pandemic, according to health officials, the CDC revealed this week that almost 3,000 people have died in the U.S. from Flu this season.

“Seasonal influenza activity is elevated across the country,” the health agency reveals in its “Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report,” which covers data up til November 19.

“CDC estimates that, so far this season, there have been at least 6.2 million illnesses, 53,000 hospitalizations, and 2,900 deaths from flu,” the report notes.

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

Hillary Clinton Gets Called ‘A Disgrace’ For Comparing USA Pro-Lifers to Brutal Afghanistan and Sudan Regimes

Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was called ‘a disgrace’ on social media after she compared pro-lifers in America to the brutal regimes in Afghanistan and Sudan.

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

IRS Warns Americans About $600 Threshold to Report Venmo, Cash App Payments

The Internal Revenue Service issued a reminder this week for taxpayers to prepare to report transactions of at least $600 that are received through payment apps like Venmo, PayPal and Cash App.

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

Judge Orders Arizona County to Certify Disputed Election Results

A judge has issued an order to compel officials in Arizona’s Cochise County to certify the disputed midterm election results.

Three days after election officials missed the statutory deadline of November 28, Judge Casey McGinley of the Pima County Superior Court ordered the county’s board of supervisors to certify their jurisdiction’s midterm results on Thursday.

Judge McGinley ordered the board of supervisors to convene and declare the results official by 5 pm MT on Thursday.

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

No Murder Charge for California Robber Who Fatally Shot Gas Station Clerk

A man who fatally shot a Chevron station clerk during a robbery in Antioch, California, will not be facing murder charges, prosecutors for the case have said, arguing that because the suspect was shot at while fleeing, his shooting back would be considered self-defense.

The incident took place Saturday, November 26 while James Williams, 36, was working the early morning shift.

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

Rand Paul: Fauci Caused 7 Million People to Die; “We’ve Caught Him Red Handed, He Won’t Get Away”

Senator Rand Paul asserted Thursday that Anthony Fauci is directly responsible for funding dangerous research that likely killed millions of people, and that he “won’t get away.”

“Likely there is no public health figure who has made a greater error in judgement than Dr Fauci,” Paul declared in a Fox News appearance, adding “the error of judgement was to fund gain of function research in a totalitarian country.”

Fauci funded “research that allowed them to create super viruses, that in all likelihood leaked into the public and caused seven million people to die,” Paul declared.

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

Republicans Plot to Investigate Social Media Censorship

House Republicans, who will take charge of committees in January, are preparing to investigate Big Tech’s censorship. According to the Washington Times, the targets of the investigations will be Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, TikTok, YouTube, and Microsoft.

“The first step for us is getting all of the documents, getting to the bottom of this, exposing what happened,” a source familiar with the House Judiciary Committee’s strategy told the Washington Times.

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

Secession Movements Gain Traction in US Amid Deepening Political Rifts: ‘a Long-Standing Problem’

Grassroots movements of Americans seeking a political divorce from their fellow citizens have recently gained traction amid deepening cultural rifts, according to multiple figures involved with secessionist organizations who spoke to Fox News Digital.

Such movements have emerged in every region of the U.S. and vary in their goals. Some aim for entire states to leave the union to form a new country, while others endeavor more simply that rural red counties secede from the domination of blue urban centers to form new states. All agree that the disagreements with their political opponents have grown intractable.

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

US Federal Government Pays $5M for Software to Turn Citizens Into Online “Misinformation” Responders

Journalism group Hacks/Hackers was awarded $5 million by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop software that would encourage ordinary Americans to warn their friends and family about misinformation in their online speech. Users of the software would confront alleged misinformation by replying with text recommended by the software.

Hacks/Hackers has been tasked with developing the “Analysis and Response Toolkit for Trust (ARTT), a suite of expert-informed resources that are intended to provide guidance and encouragement to individuals and communities as they address contentious or difficult topics online,” the NSF group said in an October 24 article.

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

Video: California Apple Store Ransacked by Thieves as Staff Warn Customers Not to Stop Them

A pair of masked bandits are still at large after brazenly robbing a California Apple store in broad daylight on Black Friday, and video of the incident has gone viral showing staff watching on and warning customers against intervening as the thieves made away with tens of thousands of dollars in loot.

The footage taken from inside Apple’s flagship Palo Alto location shows the two suspects ripping iPhones from display tables and stuffing them into backpacks as dozens of shoppers looked on.

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

Justin Trudeau Blasted for Condemning China After His Own Restrictive Policies: ‘Look in the Mirror Tyrant’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is being labeled a hypocrite by some for expressing support for Chinese protesters rallying against President Xi Jinping’s “zero-COVID” policy after his own suppression of anti-lockdown protesters in Canada earlier this year.

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

Regina Police Say ‘Criminal Act’ Caused Retallack Street Explosion

Regina police now believe someone caused the explosion of a multi-unit dwelling in the city on Nov. 13.

On Nov. 14, Regina Fire and Protective Services said the blast on Retallack Street was caused by a “compromised” gas line. On Friday, police said someone was responsible for that happening.

“It’s believed the explosion itself was accidental, but the compromise of the gas line is a criminal act, caused by a person or persons unknown at this time,” Regina police said in a media release. “Further investigation showed that the gas line was compromised on November 13, 2022 between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.”

In their release, police say they’re investigating a break, enter and commit mischief.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Trudeau Liberals Discussed Sending in Army to Quash Freedom Convoy

Documents released by the Public Order Emergency Commission have revealed that a number of officials in the Canadian government had discussed the possibility of sending in the military to quash the Freedom Convoy protests that took over Ottawa and other parts of the country earlier this year.

Plans to send in the army never made it past the planning stage, however many have questioned why such action was considered at all.

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

Demand for ‘Pure Blood’ Soars as Unvaccinated Blood Banks Launch

Demand for “pure blood” from unvaccinated donors is soaring as specialist blood banks have been launching around the world.

Patients who have chosen not to take COVID-19 shots can now access “pure blood” if they require a transfusion.

A new service called “SafeBlood Donation” was launched by a Swiss naturopath named George Della Pietra.

According to a report by VICE, the demand is so high for “pure blood” that SafeBlood Donation now has members in at least 16 countries.

SafeBlood Donation has the long-term goal of opening blood banks that provide its members with unvaccinated plasma.

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

EU’s Desire to Become a ‘Debt Community’ To Pay for Ukraine Will Ruin Europe for Generations, Warns Hungarian PM Viktor Orban

European policies which advocate mass joint borrowing among EU member states to further finance Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion of the country will have devastating consequences for the continent, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned on Friday.

During an interview on the “Good morning, Hungary!” program on Kossuth Radió, Orban slammed the futility of the existing EU sanctions on Russian energy. He also said that “not only our children, but also our grandchildren will suffer the consequences” of the mass joint borrowing scheme proposed by the European Union to continue financing Ukraine’s defense; furthermore, we will also have to pay for the states that become insolvent along the way, he added.

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

France: Sexual Violence ‘Outside the Family’ Soared in 2021

On Wednesday 30 November, the figures for complaints of sexual violence were made public by feminist associations. According to them, these complaints increased by 24 percent in 2021.

In France, there has been an explosion in sexual violence complaints. This week, figures from the Ministry of the Interior on complaints of sexual violence, outside the family, were made public by feminist associations, reported Le Figaro. The police and gendarmerie services recorded 71 835 complaints last year for sexual crimes or offences committed outside the family, an increase of 24,1 percent compared to 2020, according to these figures.

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

France: Macron Wants More Twitter Censorship to Stop People Saying “Crazy Things” About Vaccines, Pandemics, And War

French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Twitter’s owner Elon Musk for relaxing content censorship policies on the platform, arguing that content on Twitter needs more regulation. Macron made the comments in an appearance on ABC News ahead of his visit to The White House.

Macron said that democracies are under “very strong pressure” from forces like social media where users can say “crazy things about a vaccine, a pandemic, the war.”

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

France to Look to Import Energy From Britain and Others as Winter Power Cuts Loom

It is a very real possibility that France will see rolling power cuts this winter and will seek to import energy from Britain and other European neighbours to try and cope, the head of the nation’s public electricity company said on Thursday.

Amid continuing failures with the French nuclear reactor fleet, which is currently running at around half of capacity, the chairman of Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE) Xavier Piechaczyk said that currently there will be at least a few days during the winter in which the red alert signalling potential cuts will be in effect.

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

Hungary, Romania, Greece and Bulgaria Strengthen Gas Cooperation

Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary agreed in Athens on Thursday to improve the interconnection and transport capacity of their gas networks as part of a long-term effort to diversify gas sources and increase their role in the European gas supply chain.

The four countries agreed in 2016 on the development of the infrastructure needed to implement the so-called “vertical gas corridor” between Greece and northern Europe, through Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary, allowing the two-way transport of gas.

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

Julian Assange Appeals to European Court Over U.S. Extradition

LONDON (Reuters) —WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange, who is battling extradition from Britain to the United States where he is wanted on criminal charges, has submitted an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the court confirmed on Friday.

Assange, 51, is wanted by U.S. authorities on 18 counts, including one under a spying act, relating to WikiLeaks’ release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables which Washington said had put lives in danger.

Britain has given the go-ahead for his extradition, but he has launched an appeal at London’s High Court, with the first hearing expected early next year.

His legal team have also launched a case against Britain at the ECHR, which could potentially order the extradition to be blocked.

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

Switzerland Mulling Bans on Electric Car Use Amid Energy Shortages

As a result of the ongoing energy crisis throughout Europe, Switzerland is considering a ban on the use of electric cars for non-essential purposes.

Owners of Teslas, Volts, and other electric cars in Switzerland may soon find themselves taking the bus, with the country reportedly considering a partial ban on using EVs as part of a host of measures aimed at saving electricity.

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

Too Late? Foolish Decision to Close Britain’s Biggest Gas Storage Site Reversed Amid Crisis

Rough, a gigantic British gas storage facility in the North Sea which the government allowed to go to the wall in 2017, is being gradually brought back to life as the energy crisis bites.

North Sea gas storage site Rough had accounted for an astonishing 70 per cent of Britain’s relatively unimpressive gas storage capacity at the time of its closure — a strategic resilience issue in itself, given the ‘all eggs in one basket’ situation it left the country in — with operator Centrica estimating the loss of the “cushion” energy supply it provided ended up costing customers around £88 each, or £2.4 billion in total, last winter.

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

Two-Thirds of French Concerned for Their Own Safety in Their Everyday Lives

Two-thirds of French people say they are concerned over their own safety in their everyday lives and believe general security in France has declined in recent years.

A poll released this week by the Elabe Institute has revealed that as many as 67 per cent of French people say they often worry for their own safety, while 68 per cent say that the security situation in the country has deteriorated.

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

Israeli Officer Kills Palestinian Assailant in W. Bank, Police Say

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec 2 (Reuters) — An Israeli officer shot dead a Palestinian assailant in the occupied West Bank on Friday, border police said, an incident which the Palestinians denounced as an execution.

The man had stabbed and lightly wounded a border policeman after which another officer overpowered him. The man then fought with the officer and tried to snatch his rifle before the officer shot him dead, border police said in a statement.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed his death. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it was tantamount to an execution meant to escalate already spiralling violence in the territory, which Palestinians seek for a state.

Border police distributed a photo of a knife on the ground and another of a border policeman with what appears to be a stabbing wound to his head.

A video circulating on social media showed an officer holding a man in a head-lock by a road as two other men try to wrestle him away. The man then appears to strike the officer and attempt to take hold of his rifle before the officer pulls out a handgun and shoots him several times as he falls to the ground.

           — Hat tip: JW [Return to headlines]
 

Archbishop of Canterbury: We Must Not Force Peace on Ukraine

Justin Welby urged the West to be resilient even as the costs of the conflict drag on.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Archbishop of Canterbury Took Cover in Bomb Shelter Over Fears of Russian Missile Strike During Kyiv Trip: Justin Welby Slams ‘Great Disgrace That a European Country Has Air-Raid Warnings Nearly 80 Years After WWII’

Most Rev Justin Welby, 66, is meeting with displaced Ukrainians, refugees and religious leaders in the war-torn country, as he calls for Brits to donate what they can this winter

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Odesa Explosion Injures Seven

According to eyewitness reports, a grenade went off at the intersection of Prokhorovska and Myasoidivska streets, at around 16:30 p.m. Local news outlet Dumska said the incident occurred at the parking lot of the local State Emergency Service office.

Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne later reported that some policemen sustained injuries shrapnel injuries, with two officers in critical condition.

The police subsequently said that a police patrol stopped a Dodge car and noticed an explosive device in the trunk. The item exploded by the time police detectives arrived at the scene.

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Putin Turns Down Biden Talks and Defends Russian Attacks on Ukraine’s Energy Grid

MOSCOW — The Kremlin dismissed the idea of talks with President Biden to end the war in Ukraine on Friday, and defended its repeated attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure as “inevitable.”

On Thursday, Biden said he would be willing to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin “if in fact there is an interest in him deciding that he’s looking for a way to end the war.”

Asked about those comments at the White House, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin remains open to negotiations, so long as they help secure Russia’s “national interests.”

But Peskov noted Biden’s demand that Putin “pull out of Ukraine” made talks unlikely.

“The U.S. still doesn’t recognize new territories of the Russian Federation,” Peskov said, in a reference to four regions of Ukraine the Kremlin illegally annexed to international condemnation in September. “That complicates the search for grounds on which to hold mutual discussion.”

The rejection of talks with Washington came as Putin provided a forceful defense of his actions in Ukraine in a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Recognizing Russian Gains From War in Ukraine is Straight Path to Another World War, Warns Poland’s President

Polish President Andrzej Duda said that recognizing Russian gains from war against Ukraine was a “straight path to a new, great conflict, including a world war,” during the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council on Thursday.

“I am not saying this to threaten anyone, but a serious approach to European security requires taking all options into account. We must learn a lesson from the events of Feb. 24,” Duda said.

President Duda added that the only way to establish order in Europe and prevent similar attacks from happening in the future is by ensuring those responsible are held to account.

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

Ukraine Says it Has Killed 90,000 Russian Troops and Lost 13,000 of Its Own — After Reports Putin’s Invaders Had Killed 100,000

The General staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said that Kyiv’s troops have killed around 90,090 Russian soldiers on the battlefield since Vladimir Putin’s men invaded Ukraine in February.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

India: Hindu Orgs Protest Muslim Business in Hindu Temples to Reject Halal

The boycott of Muslim traders in Kodagu is part of an aggressive campaign by Hindutva groups in Karnataka to exclude Muslim businesses at Hindu temples.

B Upendran | HENB | Mangaluru | Nov 2, 2022:: Reportedly, a Muslim trader who had set up shop near a temple was evicted by members of a Hindutva group in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, continuing the trend of Hindutva groups targeting Muslim traders in the state as ‘they support Islamist groups silently’, as alleged. . The latest incident occurred at the Harihara Subramanya Temple in Ponnampet in Kodagu district on Tuesday, November 29. Ambika, a college lecturer and the district coordinator of the Durga Vahini, a Hindutva group associated with Vishva hindu Parishad, told Muslim traders that they were not allowed to conduct business near the temple for ‘Muslim communities’ link with anti-Hindu activities’.

“He (the trader) didn’t have the necessity to hide his ID card to carry out business here. They could have come here showing their real ID cards. Despite us saying that we won’t let anyone other than Hindus to do business here, they are doing business here with fake ID cards,” Ambika is heard saying in a video showing a Muslim trader being evicted from the temple area. Hindu groups are saying that the Muslims evict all the Hindus from the Mosques and Muslim areas. Then why they should be allowed to continue their Halal business in Hindu areas and in Hindu temples? We want a Halal free atmosphere around Hindu Temples.

The exclusion of Muslim traders in Kodagu is part of an aggressive campaign by Hindutva groups in Karnataka to boycott Muslim businesses at temples. Earlier this week, Hindutva groups called for a boycott of Muslim traders during the religious fair at the Subramanya Swamy temple in VV Puram in Bengaluru. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal submitted a memorandum on Tuesday to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner, Tushar Giri Nath and Deputy Commissioner of Police for South Bengaluru, P Krishnakant, calling for a ban on Muslim traders.

The move was condemned by the Muslim influenced Federation of Street Vendors Union in Bengaluru. “Street vendors are brought together by hard work and hunger not their caste and religion. They don’t live their life begging from the government but instead face various difficulties in life. Misusing religion to ban vendors of a particular religion is unconstitutional. This is against their rights,” a press statement by the federation said. “The government’s silence indicates that their stance is anti-constitutional. Such a move by the government will create a fearful atmosphere among street vendors,” the statement added. But, the Street vendor Federation was silent when asked, ‘Why the Muslim street vendors campaigned for Halal business in Hindu areas some times back and created Islamic funding for Muslim vendors only excluding the Hindu vendors by the way?”

In March 2022, Hindutva groups evicted Muslim traders from the Bappanadu temple fair in Mulki in Dakshina Kannada district as part of a similar Hindutva campaign targeting temple fairs across coastal Karnataka.

The Durgaparameshwari temple in Bappanadu has a syncretic history which spans over 800 years. It is being said that the temple is a “modern day testimony to communal harmony.” The temple sign further reads, “The temple, said to be built by a Muslim merchant, is today known for the rare practice of allowing Muslims to accept the prasada (blessings of the deity).” Similarly, Muslim traders who took part in large numbers at the Kaup Maariamma festival were also barred this year. But, all these claims proved a half cooked ideas spread by the Muslim social preachers (pir-fakirs) for getting a chance to make an adulteration in Hindu faith.

           — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari [Return to headlines]
 

V-Dem Institute Releases Another Bizarre Ranking, Places Pakistan and Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan Above India in Academic Freedom Index

Sweden-based The V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute, known for its bizarre democracy reports, has come up with another such report. The George Soros funded group recently released a report on Academc Freedon, and according to them, India is behind Pakistan, Iraq and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in academic freedom.

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

Apple CEO Torched for Dodging Questions About China Protests: ‘Shame on Him’

Apple CEO Tim Cook is taking heat after refusing to answer questions from a FOX Business reporter on the protests in China.

“Shame on him,” former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom said Friday, calling out Apple for making “billions of dollars off of slave labor from China every year”

On “Fox & Friends First,” the outspoken critic of China’s abuses and corporations who do business in the country responded to Apple’s stance on the protests.

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

China Tells Tech Giants to Hire More Censors — to Combat Rising Dissent

China is cracking down on the internet to quash anti-lockdown protests. The government has managed to keep protesters from the streets this week using heavy police presence, following the wave of protests across major cities last weekend.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) instructed tech companies, including ByteDance and Tencent to add more people to their internet censorship teams. Tech companies were also instructed to closely monitor content related to the protests, especially content about protests in universities and the fire in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, which triggered the anti-lockdown protests last weekend.

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

New Zealand Admits it Has Direct Access to Facebook Takedown Portal Where it Can Flag Content for Censorship

New Zealand’s government has officially admitted that it has partner access to Facebook’s controversial content takedown portal.

This portal is designed specifically for government agencies to flag content to Facebook for censorship. According to The Intercept, which reported on the portal in October, government partners can also use the portal to “report disinformation directly” to Facebook.

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

Why Anthony Albanese’s Climate Change Goal WON’T be Reached by 2030 Even as Your Electricity Bills Soar by 56 Per Cent

A federal government department has suggested Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s plan to reduce carbon emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 would be unlikely to be reached — even with new policies.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Will They Kick on for Drinks? Finland’s Dancing PM and Anthony Albanese Meet — as the European Leader Jokes About Her Reputation But Unveils a Tough Message

Sanna Marin, 37, delivered a speech at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Friday before discussing an Australia and EU trade agreement with Anthony Albanese.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Islamists Levy ‘Jizya Tax’ On Christians and Jews in Mozambique

The Islamic State in Mozambique (ISM) has ordered Christians and Jews to pay a jizya tax for infidels as a sign of their submission to an Islamic Caliphate, the Barnabas Fund reported Thursday.

Christians and Jews in the region have been threatened with death unless they either convert to Islam, vacate the area, or pay the tax.

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

Presumed Fulani Raiders Murder Christian Couple in Nigeria

Suspected Fulani Islamists hacked a Christian couple and their daughter to death with machetes in Nigeria this week, local media reported Thursday.

Clement and Christiana Ukertor were killed on their farm on November 29 in Benue State in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where most Fulani-driven anti-Christian violence occurs. The following day the body of their 17-year-old daughter Dooyum was found in the bush.

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

Streets of ‘Every City’ in Brazil Flooded With Citizens Protesting Election Fraud

Citizens have flooded the streets of “every city” in Brazil to protest against alleged voter fraud in the country’s recent presidential election.

As Slay News has been documenting, the shock results of the election have triggered a widespread uprising after the election was called for the notoriously corrupt socialist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Brazilians across the nation argue that challenger Lula’s apparent victory over popular incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro was fraudulent.

The protests against the election results are now entering the 33rd day.

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

Astonishing Moment Migrant PARAGLIDES Into Europe: First Known Case is Filmed by Stunned Spaniard as Man Flies Over Border From North African Enclave

This is the moment a migrant makes history by becoming the first documented person to paraglide across Spain’s southern border with Morocco and make it onto European soil.

Two locals driving along the double fence inside Spain’s North African enclave of Melilla filmed the astonishing scene before calling police.

But the unidentified migrant had fled by the time officers arrived and had yet to be found.

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

Majority of Britons Say Immigration Too High, Just Four Per Cent Say Immigration Too Low

A clear majority of Britons think immigration is too high, while a mere four per cent believe it is too low, according to new polling.

With net immigration now standing at a record-shattering 504,000 — not including “recent irregular migration”, which adds at least tens of thousands to this already sky-high figure — GB News commissioned PeoplePolling to conduct a representative survey of 1,208 people for an insight into the public’s view of the situation.

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

New Federal Data Shows 73,000 Illegal Immigrant “Gotaways” In ONE MONTH

New data compiled by the Customs and Border Protection agency has revealed that a record number of 73,000 undocumented migrants were able to escape into the U.S in November alone.

The data, obtained by Fox News and highlighted by reporter Bill Melugin, reveals that 137,000 ‘gotaways’ were encountered since the beginning of October, which equates to at least 2,400 per day.

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

Parallel Society: Ukrainian Children in German Schools

Around one million Ukrainians have left their homeland due to the war in recent months and sought refuge in Germany. Among the refugees are tens of thousands of children who are now going to school in Germany. But there are simply too many and the problems are mounting.

Educators responsible for foreign children have given up telling the success story of an integration that doesn’t exist.

So-called “bridging classes” have been set up everywhere for Ukrainian schoolchildren, in which German language skills are taught more intensively. But to no avail — further support and integration have overwhelmed German teaching staff, the chairman of the Bavarian Philologists’ Association, Michael Schwägerl, had to admit.

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

Balenciaga’s Parent Company CEO Heads Auction House That Sold Art Sexualizing Children

Christie’s — the famed auction house whose president also heads the parent company of Balenciaga — has sold works of art that sexualize children, including works by shock artists Jake and Dinos Chapman, who have depicted children with erect penises protruding from their faces.

The fashion house Balenciaga is currently under fire for running a marketing campaign that also sexualizes children. Photos from the campaign show toddlers posing with bondage-themed stuffed animals. Another features papers from a Supreme Court case on child pornography.

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

Diversity

One of the biggest stories of the year just slipped by and everyone’s just acting like it’s no big deal.

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

Furious Aussie Tradies Storm Into Balenciaga Store and Accuse Workers and Customers of ‘Supporting Child Abuse’: ‘You Should All be Ashamed’

Two Aussie tradies have stormed into a Balenciaga store to ask employees how they feel about working for a brand that ‘openly supports child abuse’ following a recent ad campaign scandal.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

J.K. Rowling Sends Champagne After Woman Heckles Sturgeon Over Trans Self-ID Law

Author J.K. Rowling sent a crate of champagne to a feminist activist who heckled Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, claiming changes to gender laws would allow paedophiles and rapists to self-identify as women.

The best-selling Harry Potter author sent the case of champagne this week to feminist Alexandra Darroch, who heckled left-separatist Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon during a speech in Edinburgh on the topic of violence against women.

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

New Disney CEO Drops the Hammer on ‘Woke’ Employees

Disney’s recently-returned CEO Bob Iger has dropped the hammer on “woke” employees by revealing that the entertainment giant is abandoning its left-wing biased political agenda.

Iger, who recently returned to lead The Walt Disney Co. after former CEO Bob Chapek was fired, revealed the company is backing away from “woke” propaganda during an internal company town hall.

On Tuesday, writer and filmmaker Christopher Rufo shared a video of Iger expressing his intent to pull back from political programming.

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

Planned Parenthood Director Claims Kids Are ‘Sexual Beings’ From Birth While Promoting ‘Useful’ Porn Literacy

FIRST ON FOX — An executive director at a Planned Parenthood’s sex education arm claimed that children are born “sexual” while simultaneously advocating for comprehensive sex education from kindergarten through 12th grade and porn literacy for certain ages, Fox News Digital found.

Bill Taverner, who has advocated for sexuality education at U.S. congressional briefings, is the executive director of Planned Parenthood’s Center for Sex Education located in New Jersey. The Center provides training materials nationally and hosts the largest conference for sex educators in the U.S.

In 2015, he said, “[We have] in our society, an assumption of asexuality of people with intellectual disabilities. It’s a myth that’s perpetuated, and really we are all sexual beings from birth until death.”

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

‘Woke’ California Democrat Accused of Faking ‘Homophobic’ Threat

California state Senator Scott Wiener, a “woke” Democrat, has been accused of faking a “homophobic” threat against himself.

The controversial lawmaker is best known for pushing laws in the state that expose children to adult themes.

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

9 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/2/2022

  1. While heading out for some PT time, the enemedia was on about “hate speech” on Twit stating that N bomb usage is way up and hateful symbols.
    Yedolf West (snark) was banned for a Raelian (?) icon.
    Ahh…it is a UFO cult.
    May the honk be with you.


  2. .
    NEVER FORGET

    Bismarck’: “If people knew how sausages and state laws are made,
    no one would be able to sleep soundly at night.”

    Helmut Schmidt: “Under no circumstances must you underestimate
    a government’s stupidity.”

    • No we don’t! We need the militaries of both countries to execute the politicians and WEF types that got us into this mess in the first place.

  3. Considering what happened during the last two years whatever is labeled disinformation by the rulers I consider to be reliable information and the truth.

  4. @ LN,

    “God has a special providence for fools, drunks, and the United States of America.” ~ Otto von Bismarck

Comments are closed.