Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/31/2022

Shortly after the new year began in Ukraine, a new wave of Russian missile attacks caused explosions in Kiev. The Ukrainian government asserted that Russia was deliberately targeting civilians.

In other news, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95, joining Barbara Walters as one of the last celebrity deaths of 2022.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, JW, LP, Reader from Chicago, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Financial Crisis
» America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve Falls to Lowest Level Since 1983 as Gas Prices Rise Again
» Cashing in? Sam Bankman-Fried Meets With Writer Who Penned Hollywood Blockbuster ‘The Big Short’ While Holed Up on House Arrest on $250m Bail — as Parents Cough Up $10k-a-Week for Private Security
» Sam Bankman-Fried ‘Is Likely to Plead Not Guilty’ To Defrauding Investors Out of $1.8b — as FTX Chief Breaks His Silence From House Arrest to Slap Down Claims He Reactivated Alameda Wallets After Posting $250m Bail
» U.S. Sees Major Housing Price Correction, Nearly the Largest Since World War II
» Woke Fail: Netflix Shares Plummet More Than 50 Percent in 2022 — Worst Year in More Than a Decade
 
USA
» 11 States Poised to Cut Individual Income Taxes in 2023
» Appeals Court Denies Principal Qualified Immunity in Teacher’s MAGA Hat Job Retaliation Lawsuit
» As Democrats Ramp Up Gun Control, A Supermajority in U.S. Think Gun Ownership Good for Society
» Buffalo Winter Storm: Police Identify Local Hero Who Saved Several Lives
» Chief Justice in Year-End Report Reinforces Need for Judicial Security After Contentious Year at Supreme Court
» Crook Tries to Steal Goat From 79-Year-Old, Ends Up With a Bullet in His Gut Instead
» ‘Hip Hop Organizer’ Threatens ‘Serious Backlash’ if Every Black Californian Doesn’t Receive $800,000 Reparation Payment
» Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger Has Been Fitted With Anti-Suicide Vest Inmates Call a ‘Turtle Suit’, as Ex-Friend Who Went for Seven Mile Night Runs With ‘Killer’ Tells of His Terror at News of the Arrest
» Idaho Murder Suspect Kohberger Wearing Suicide-Prevention Vest, Police Used Crime Scene DNA: Sources
» Idaho College Student Slaying Suspect Bryan Kohberger to Waive Extradition Hearing: Attorney
» Judge Halts California Fast-Food Law as Restaurants, Unions Hammer Each Other
» Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago Will End 2022 With at Least 723 Homicides
» NC State Budget Law Adds New Requirements for Governor’s Use of Emergency Powers
» NYPD Police Cruiser is Pictured Smeared With Blood on NYE After Man Was Stabbed Eight Times Just Hours Before Annual December 31 Bash
» Pelosi’s Final Act as Speaker is to Order Huge Pay Raise for House Staffers
» Plaintiff Attorneys: Lawsuits Against DoD to Continue Despite Recision of Vaccine Mandate
» Rep.-Elect George Santos Faces Scrutiny Over Campaign Filings His Team Blames as ‘Database Error’: Report
» Researcher Reveals Google Home Speakers Could’ve Been Hijacked and Turned Into Wiretaps
» ‘Rigged the COVID Debate’: How Federally Enticed Censorship Undermined Science During Pandemic
» Seattle Had Over 23% More Shooting Deaths in 2022
» Teacher Fired for Having Students Listen to Joe Rogan Interview, Dr. Robert Malone Says
» The Death of American Ambition: Staff at Blue Chip Firms Are Refusing to Work Weekends and Are Demanding Raises if Asked to Take on Extra Tasks — as TikTok ‘Act Your Wage’ Movement Helps Trigger Outsourcing to India
 
Canada
» Pierre Poilievre Says Justin Trudeau to Blame for Bail Issues
 
Europe and the EU
» Croatia to Abandon Own Currency, Become Latest €uro Member on New Year’s Day
» EU Corruption Scandal Continues to Grow
» ‘Fatwa’ Against Churchill: Scholars Accuse BBC of Trying to Rewrite British History to Promote a ‘Woke Agenda’
» French Authorities Back COVID Jab for Infants
» Ireland’s Data Protection Office is Looking Into Alleged “400 Million” Twitter User Hack
» Pope Benedict XVI Dies in Vatican at 95
» Prince Harry Should be Stripped of Royal Title After Netflix Series, Almost Half of the British Public Says
» Spain: Leftist Parties Blame Each Other After Record Month of Killings of Women
» UK PM Sunak Says Britain’s Problems Will Not ‘Go Away’ In 2023, Blames Russia
» UK: Just Stop Oil Calls for an End to Arrest and Imprisonment of Protesters
» UK: Prince Andrew Braced as Accuser Virginia Giuffre to be Freed From Gagging Clause
 
Russia
» In Nord Stream Mystery, Baltic Seabed Provides a Nearly Ideal Crime Scene
» Kyiv Rocked by Explosions Amid Russia’s New Year Attacks
» Putin Rages Against the West in New Year Message to His People: Fatigued Dictator Appears on State TV to Accuse Western Powers of Using Ukraine as a Tool to Destroy Russia and Says He Launched Invasion to Protect Its ‘Motherland’
» Russia Strikes Ukrainian Infrastructure Again as UN Warns of Serious Humanitarian Crisis
» ‘The Year of Our Victory’: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Issues Rallying Cry to Mark the Start of 2023 as He Denounces Strikes on His Country and Accuses Vladimir Putin of Hiding
» Watch: Putin Says ‘The West Lied About Peace’ In New Year’s Address to Russia
 
South Asia
» India: 20-Yr-Old Hindu Woman Stabbed 51 Times to Death With Screwdriver by Her Ex-Muslim Boyfriend in Chhattisgarh
 
Far East
» Brutalizing Women & Public Humiliation: Enforcing Zero-COVID in Guangzhou, China
» ‘Mind Dominance’: The CCP’s Disinformation War on US Social Media
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Nigerian Nun Denounces Christian Persecution, Vatican Silence
 
Latin America
» Barbados Targets Hollywood Star Benedict Cumberbatch as Campaigners Demand Reparations Over the Sins of His Slave-Owning Ancestors
» Bolsonaro Says “Nothing Justifies” Violence and Dissociates Himself From Protests Outside Barracks
 
Immigration
» ‘Sea-Eye’ Demands Protection From German Government
» With Highest Arrivals Since 2016, Europe Saw a Silent Migrant Crisis in 2022
 
Culture Wars
» ABC Slammed for ‘Woke’ Coverage of Sydney’s 9pm New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Accused of ‘Excluding the Majority’ Of Viewers: ‘What an Absolute Disgrace’
» Abortions in Texas Drop 97% After Roe Reversal
» Australia’s ‘ABC’ Rings in New Year’s With an ‘Embarrassing’ ‘Woke’ Bang, Gets Blasted as a ‘Disgrace’
» ‘Climate Impact’ Labels on Fast Food Items Deter People From Ordering Beef: Study
» Federal Appeals Court Backs Florida School District That Blocked Transgender Student From Using Boys Bathroom
» ‘I Wanted Them Dead’: Trans Woman, 22, Confessed to Cops She Hit ‘Very Religious’ Father in Head With a Hammer Before Stabbing Him to Death — as Video Surfaces Where She Talks About Coming Out to Her Divorced Parents
» Klaus Schwab’s World Economic Forum: The New Fascism
» Scotland Police Blasted for Report Describing Pedophiles as ‘Minor-Attracted People’: ‘Baloney’
» Texas Supreme Court Rules Against Father Seeking to Prevent ‘Chemical Castration’ of His Son Via Gender-Bending Hormones
 

America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve Falls to Lowest Level Since 1983 as Gas Prices Rise Again

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) fell to its lowest level since 1983, as oil and gas prices rose again last week.

The Biden administration has tapped over 240 million barrels from the SPR this year to lower domestic gas prices, which have been rising since the president took office.

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

Cashing in? Sam Bankman-Fried Meets With Writer Who Penned Hollywood Blockbuster ‘The Big Short’ While Holed Up on House Arrest on $250m Bail — as Parents Cough Up $10k-a-Week for Private Security

Lewis, 62, reportedly met with Bankman-Fried for several hours on Friday at the $4 million home of the accused crypto fraudster’s parents, who are both Stanford University law professors.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Sam Bankman-Fried ‘Is Likely to Plead Not Guilty’ To Defrauding Investors Out of $1.8b — as FTX Chief Breaks His Silence From House Arrest to Slap Down Claims He Reactivated Alameda Wallets After Posting $250m Bail

Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is ‘likely to plead not guilty’ to eight counts of fraud at a hearing next week after he broke his silence from house arrest on Friday.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

U.S. Sees Major Housing Price Correction, Nearly the Largest Since World War II

The United States is seeing a major price correction in its housing market, with analysts calling it very nearly the largest such shift since the end of World War II roughly 80 years ago.

The U.S. saw sky-high housing prices over the past several years, as a huge increase in demand was met with sharply depressed housing stock due to building delays and other factors.

Prices have been dropping markedly in recent months as the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have driven buyers away from the market. Experts are claiming the price correction is among the largest seen in decades.

“What we’re doing is we’re giving back perhaps at most, a third or a quarter of the gains that we realized,” Macro Trends Advisors founding partner Mitch Roschelle told Fox News this week.

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

Woke Fail: Netflix Shares Plummet More Than 50 Percent in 2022 — Worst Year in More Than a Decade

Netflix has closed out its worst year in more than a decade, with its stock plunging more than 50 percent and wiping out a staggering $136 billion in market value.

For 2022, Netflix shares dropped 50.6 percent, the most the stock has declined on an annual basis since 2011. For the first time, the once-invincible company lost subscribers for two consecutive quarters, ushering in a period of painful belt-tightening that has included several hundred layoffs.

Netflix’s decline outpaced the Nasdaq, which was down 33.1 percent for the year.

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

11 States Poised to Cut Individual Income Taxes in 2023

Eleven states will reduce their individual income tax rates on Jan. 1.

Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, and North Carolina will cut the individual income tax rate on New Year’s Day, according to the Tax Foundation. Over the past two years, more than 20 states have cut individual income tax rates.

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

Appeals Court Denies Principal Qualified Immunity in Teacher’s MAGA Hat Job Retaliation Lawsuit

Asuburban Portland, Ore., teacher allegedly threatened with discipline if he kept bringing a Make America Great Again hat to teacher-training sessions can sue his former principal for First Amendment retaliation, a federal appeals court has ruled.

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

As Democrats Ramp Up Gun Control, A Supermajority in U.S. Think Gun Ownership Good for Society

Democrats with ambitions of broad gun control in the United States face a major stumbling block in their efforts to enact those policies: American voters themselves.

Gun rights remain broadly popular in the United States, even after years of Democratic efforts to turn high-profile mass shootings into major gun control initiatives.

A long history of gun ownership, coupled with robust constitutional protections for firearm ownership here, have led to one of the largest private gun stocks in the world.

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

Buffalo Winter Storm: Police Identify Local Hero Who Saved Several Lives

Police say they have found the local hero who is credited with saving several lives and two dogs after he broke into a Buffalo-area school on Dec. 23 to find shelter from last week’s deadly winter storm in Western New York.

The Cheektowaga Police Department on Thursday said they had identified “Merry Christmas Jay,” who had broken a window in order to bring more than 20 people inside Pine Hill School as a winter storm raged. He is 27-year-old Jay Withey, a mechanic from Kenmore, New York.

“We identified the amazing Jay with the help of his friends and family!” the police department said on Facebook. “Our Chief was able to speak to him and express our gratitude for his heroic actions.”

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

Chief Justice in Year-End Report Reinforces Need for Judicial Security After Contentious Year at Supreme Court

After a summer of marches outside the Supreme Court, and a physical threat against one its members, Chief Justice John Roberts thanked Congress Saturday for strengthening judicial security.

But Roberts’ annual year-end report was noteworthy for what he did not mention: any update on the Court’s internal investigation into the public leak of a draft opinion in the contentious abortion decision striking down Roe v. Wade.

The 5-4 final ruling in June reversing the nationwide constitutional right to the procedure sparked weeks of angry protests, an 8-foot-tall unscalable metal fencing surrounding the court building and increased round-the-clock security at the justices’ homes.

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

Crook Tries to Steal Goat From 79-Year-Old, Ends Up With a Bullet in His Gut Instead

A crook thought he was in for an easy ride when he decided to try and steal a goat from a 79-year-old San Diego County resident, but he got a lot more than he bargained for.

The young would-be robber planned to pay the elderly homeowner a visit and leave with his goat.

Instead, he left the property with a bullet in his gut.

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

‘Hip Hop Organizer’ Threatens ‘Serious Backlash’ if Every Black Californian Doesn’t Receive $800,000 Reparation Payment

Following a meeting of California’s Reparations Task Force at Oakland’s City Hall on December 14, an activist warned the committee that if they do not comply with his demands for $800,000 to be handed out to black residents there is “going to be a serious backlash.”

Deon Jenkins told the task force, which was formed by Governor Newsom in 2020, to compensate black Californians for discriminatory housing practices, that reparation payments should be in line with today’s average cost of owning a home in the state, which is estimated to be around $800,000, the Daily Mail reports.

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

Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger Has Been Fitted With Anti-Suicide Vest Inmates Call a ‘Turtle Suit’, as Ex-Friend Who Went for Seven Mile Night Runs With ‘Killer’ Tells of His Terror at News of the Arrest

Bryan Kohberger is being forced to wear an anti-suicide vest, also known as a turtle suit, in jail while he awaits extradition to Moscow, Idaho, where he will be charged with the murders of four University of Idaho students.

Kohberger was arrested on Friday in Pennsylvania, more than 2,000 miles away from where the November 13 deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin took place in the off-campus home they shared.

The PhD has agreed to be extradited to Idaho from Pennsylvania. His attorney said he is shocked by the arrest and plans on denying the murders. Kohberger was originally on suicide watch but is now believed to be off as he prepares his defense.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Idaho Murder Suspect Kohberger Wearing Suicide-Prevention Vest, Police Used Crime Scene DNA: Sources

Bryan Kohberger is wearing a suicide-prevention vest while being held at the Monroe County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania following his arrest in conjunction with a quadruple homicide in Moscow, Idaho, Fox News confirmed Saturday with a law enforcement source.

Suicide vests are used to “ensure warmth and comfort” while not obstructing the wearer’s movements, according to PSP Corp, a suicide prevention company.

The vests also cannot be rolled or torn and prevent inmates “from using the fabric to create a weapon or hanging mechanism.”

Kohberger, 28, was arrested Friday for the Nov. 13 murder of four University of Idaho students while at his parents’ home in eastern Pennsylvania.

Authorities used DNA to track him and his vehicle that was placed at the scene of the crime, a separate source told Fox News.

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

Idaho College Student Slaying Suspect Bryan Kohberger to Waive Extradition Hearing: Attorney

The man suspected of being responsible for the murder of four Idaho college students plans to waive his extradition hearing in Pennsylvania, allowing him to be brought back to Idaho to face charges.

Bryan Kohberger’s attorney, chief public defender Jason LaBar, said Kohberger plans to tell a judge in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday that he will waive his extradition hearing so he can be quickly brought to Idaho to face the charges and is eager to be exonerated.

LaBar also cautioned people against passing judgment on the case until a fair trial is held. The case has generated massive amounts of speculation on social media, with would-be sleuths frequently trying to pin the blame for the deaths on various friends and acquaintances of the victims.

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

Judge Halts California Fast-Food Law as Restaurants, Unions Hammer Each Other

A judge of the Sacramento Superior Court ruled Friday to block a proposed law in California that would give the state authority to negotiate the wages and working conditions of fast-food workers.

The block is dependent on the outcome of a proposed referendum pushed by fast-food giants to stomp out the proposed changes.

The Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (“FAST”) has seen significant pushback from restaurateurs and franchisees as workers’ unions fight to give the state a seat at the table in negotiating wages.

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

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago Will End 2022 With at Least 723 Homicides

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) Chicago will end 2022 with the tragic figure of at least 723 murders for the year.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported the city was at 723 homicides for the year as of December 30, 2022.

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

NC State Budget Law Adds New Requirements for Governor’s Use of Emergency Powers

The new year will place new hurdles in the path of North Carolina’s current and future governors before states of emergency they issue can extend into months or even years, as happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A provision in the 2021 state budget law that takes effect Sunday requires governors to gain formal support from other elected officials for their short-term emergency declarations to last beyond 30 days.

It’s among a dozen state laws taking effect in part or in full as 2023 begins. The laws include an income tax cut, the creation of a new Department of Adult Correction and new directives to prevent the sale of stolen goods on online marketplaces.

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

NYPD Police Cruiser is Pictured Smeared With Blood on NYE After Man Was Stabbed Eight Times Just Hours Before Annual December 31 Bash

An NYPD cruiser was left smeared with blood and a suspect remains at large after a man was stabbed several times on New Year’s Eve just steps away from where thousands will gather for the annual ball drop in Times Square.

A spokesperson for the NYPD described the homeless victim, 41, as being ‘uncooperative’ after he was stabbed around eight times on the street close to west 40th street and 7th avenue around 11 am.

According to the police, the victim is being treated at Bellevue Hospital and is in serious but stable condition.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Pelosi’s Final Act as Speaker is to Order Huge Pay Raise for House Staffers

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced on Friday that the House would raise its staff salary cap to bring the maximum salary up to $212,100— $38,000 more than what members of Congress make.

“As you know, our hard-working, patriotic congressional staffers are integral to the functioning of the House of Representatives,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to House lawmakers.

“To that end, we must do all we can to retain and recruit the best talent in our nation — and to build a congressional workforce that reflects the communities we are honored to serve.”

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

Plaintiff Attorneys: Lawsuits Against DoD to Continue Despite Recision of Vaccine Mandate

Sixteen months after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a directive requiring all military members to get the COVID-19 vaccine or face disciplinary action or be forced out of the military, he was forced to rescind it by Congress.

Despite the rescission, lawsuits over the mandate will continue in January on behalf of service members who sued in multiple states. Plaintiffs attorneys argue the rescission isn’t enough to ensure protections for service members against DOD policies and future mandates.

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

Rep.-Elect George Santos Faces Scrutiny Over Campaign Filings His Team Blames as ‘Database Error’: Report

A federal insider is questioning embattled Republican Rep.-elect George Santos’s explanation that dozens of $199.99 campaign expenses were the result of an FEC “database error.”

“I don’t believe it,” Ann Ravel, former FEC chairwoman, told the New York Post about the Santos claim that the mysterious expense filings were the result of a database error. “There are too many expenditures for the $199 that were filed.”

Santos, who is currently under investigation after admitting to several lies about his personal life and resume on the campaign trail where he was eventually elected to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District in November, has defended himself against questions about the FEC expense filings.

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

Researcher Reveals Google Home Speakers Could’ve Been Hijacked and Turned Into Wiretaps

Security researcher Matt Kunze revealed a serious vulnerability in Google smart home speakers that could’ve enabled threat actors to gain remote access over the devices.

Kunze was experimenting with his own Google Home speaker in early 2021 when he found a hacker could install a ‘backdoor’ account on the device over the web. He detailed the security flaw at length on his blog, indicating someone could send commands to the speaker remotely, access its microphone, scrape Wi-Fi passwords, and access other devices on the network.

He said the hacker would have to trick the target or victim into installing a malicious Android app, which allowed the attacker’s account to connect with the smart speaker. Once the hacker was in, the microphone in the Google Home speaker would be easily accessible to snoop on conversations.

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

‘Rigged the COVID Debate’: How Federally Enticed Censorship Undermined Science During Pandemic

Few online platforms were better poised than Twitter to serve as a clearinghouse of insight and discovery during the dizzying early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the world scrambling to make sense of the rapidly spreading new virus, commenters and investigators around the globe were turning to Twitter’s real-time public forum to share information and speculation regarding the disease.

Monitors at Twitter, however, ended up interpreting the circumstances differently.

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

Seattle Had Over 23% More Shooting Deaths in 2022

Seattle witnessed over 23% more shooting deaths this year, up from 2021 fatality numbers.

The latest shooting statistics from the Seattle Police Department crime dashboard shows that from January through Nov. 30, there were 38 shooting deaths in the city. There were 31 shooting deaths in all of 2021.

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

Teacher Fired for Having Students Listen to Joe Rogan Interview, Dr. Robert Malone Says

Scientist and mRNA vaccine researcher Dr. Robert Malone went viral on Twitter after he claimed that a teacher in New York was fired for giving students an extra credit assignment.

The assignment, Malone wrote, was to listen to his interview with podcaster Joe Rogan.

“Crazy times. . . . A teacher in NY was fired for having students listen to my interview with Rogan in an extra credit assignment. Commissioner of education demanded reinstatement with back pay, and evidently the district refuses to follow the order.”

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

The Death of American Ambition: Staff at Blue Chip Firms Are Refusing to Work Weekends and Are Demanding Raises if Asked to Take on Extra Tasks — as TikTok ‘Act Your Wage’ Movement Helps Trigger Outsourcing to India

The revelations, aired in a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, depict a rapidly changing corporate climate where staffers are more actively drawing a line between their work and personal lives.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Pierre Poilievre Says Justin Trudeau to Blame for Bail Issues

After the slaying of an Ontario Provincial Police officer by an offender allegedly out on bail, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has said Justin Trudeau is to blame for making bail easier to get and focusing his government’s efforts on “persecuting” law-abiding gun owners rather than going after criminals. Poilievre joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss.

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

Croatia to Abandon Own Currency, Become Latest €uro Member on New Year’s Day

Croatia is to be the latest European Union member to abandon its financial independence in exchange for integration within the EU money system, as it switches the national kuna for Brussels’ euro on New Year’s Day.

The Republic of Croatia, which became an independent country after the Croatian War of Independence in 1991, is to give up some of that hard-won independence this weekend, as it exchanges financial self-determination for a place among the club of Eurozone nations.

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

EU Corruption Scandal Continues to Grow

Apparently, the Greek anti-money laundering authority has found more suspicious dealings involving top EU officials. Its leader, Charalambos Vourliotis, has asked his counterparts in the tax haven of Panama to help investigate Eva Kaili and Francesco Giorgi’s accounts.

They are looking for 20 million euros, which are said to have flowed from Qatar.

The 1,5 million euros in cash confiscated in the wake of the corruption scandal appears to be the tip of the iceberg. According to the Greek media, the head of the Greek anti-money laundering authority has now turned to his colleagues in the tax haven of Panama. He asked whether 20 million euros from Qatar might have flowed into the accounts of Eva Kaili and her partner Francesco Giorgi.

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

‘Fatwa’ Against Churchill: Scholars Accuse BBC of Trying to Rewrite British History to Promote a ‘Woke Agenda’

A group of history scholars is questioning whether viewers should trust the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), accusing the national broadcaster of presenting a slanted view of the nation’s history.

“The BBC, of all institutions, should never accept as fact arguments put forward by politically motivated campaigners. Sadly, it appears that tendentious and provocative arguments seem to be given preference, and they have often been relayed without proper concern for accuracy,” a spokesperson for History Reclaimed told the Daily Telegraph of the organization’s report, which accused the BBC of “rewriting British history to promote a woke agenda.”

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

French Authorities Back COVID Jab for Infants

In France, health authorities have authorized the COVID-19 vaccines for infants and young children. This follows an EU directive that said children between the ages of 4 months and 6 years could get the jab. But some French politicians are concerned about this move.

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

Ireland’s Data Protection Office is Looking Into Alleged “400 Million” Twitter User Hack

Twitter is under investigation by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) as the watchdog is determining any possible privacy violations after Twitter’s API setup reportedly leaked details of over “400 million” accounts.

The names, email addresses, and phone numbers of millions of users were allegedly obtained by hackers and are now for sale amongst hacker communities.

The hacker claims to have private details linked to what they say is more than 400 million accounts.

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

Pope Benedict XVI Dies in Vatican at 95

ROME — Benedict XVI, the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, died peacefully in his bed Saturday morning, the Vatican announced.

“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican,” wrote Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni in a statement. “Further information will be provided as soon as possible.”

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

Prince Harry Should be Stripped of Royal Title After Netflix Series, Almost Half of the British Public Says

Prince Harry is continuing to lose support among the British public following the release of his Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan.”

A recent poll conducted by YouGov in the United Kingdom on behalf of The Times found that almost half of respondents believed that the Duke of Sussex should be stripped of his royal title.

According to the poll, 44% of the people surveyed believed that Harry’s title should be removed while 32% thought that he should retain his title.

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

Spain: Leftist Parties Blame Each Other After Record Month of Killings of Women

Spain’s ruling Social Democrats and the leftist party Podemos have blamed each other after the country saw a record number of murders of women in December.

Spanish Minister of Equality Irene Montero, a member of the populist leftist Podemos, called for a crisis committee earlier this month after announcing that five women had been murdered in December as a result of sexist violence, a number that increased to eight earlier this week on Wednesday when the meeting was held.

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

UK PM Sunak Says Britain’s Problems Will Not ‘Go Away’ In 2023, Blames Russia

LONDON (AP) — Britain has had a tough 12 months and its problems will not “go away” in 2023 — but the coronation of King Charles III will help bring the country together, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Saturday in his New Year message.

Sunak, who in October became the third Conservative British prime minister of the year, said the U.K. was rocked this year by the “profound economic impact” caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

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

UK: Just Stop Oil Calls for an End to Arrest and Imprisonment of Protesters

Just Stop Oil has called for police and courts to stop arresting and jailing protesters.

In a statement published on New Year’s Eve, the climate change campaign group said that officers and members of the judiciary who arrest and imprison protesters are working for “power and profit”.

Just Stop Oil (JSO) was formed in February this year with the aim of forcing the Government to end all new licences for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK.

The group made headlines for climate demonstrations which caused traffic jams for miles on major motorways, disruption to major events including the Baftas, and damage to famous artworks.

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

UK: Prince Andrew Braced as Accuser Virginia Giuffre to be Freed From Gagging Clause

The Duke of York is braced for his sex abuse accuser to return to the public eye as a gagging clause signed by both parties is lifted in February.

Prince Andrew paid millions to settle a civil case with Virginia Giuffre earlier this year, securing a deal that bought him just one-year of silence. The Duke did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the civil case settlement.

However, that agreement will come to an end within weeks, meaning that Ms Giuffre, who now lives in Australia with her husband and children, will be once again likely to be free to talk about the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender.

It raises the prospect that she could resume television interviews, or even write a book.

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

In Nord Stream Mystery, Baltic Seabed Provides a Nearly Ideal Crime Scene

As investigators piece together clues, Russia has quietly taken steps to begin expensive repairs on the giant gas pipeline, complicating theories about who was behind September’s sabotage.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Kyiv Rocked by Explosions Amid Russia’s New Year Attacks

A fresh round of explosions rocked Kyiv less than an hour into 2023 on Sunday, January 1, after Russia had attacked Ukraine with missiles targeting the capital and other cities ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The first blasts of the new year began roughly 30 minutes after midnight, hitting two districts, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Ukrainian officials claimed Russia was now deliberately targeting civilians, seeking to create a climate of fear to see out the year grimly and usher in a bloody 2023. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published a video address shortly after Russia launched the New Year’s Eve cruise missiles over Ukraine saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “hiding behind the military, behind missiles, behind the walls of his residences and palaces.” Addressing the Russians, he added that “no one in the world will forgive you for this. Ukraine will not forgive.”

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Putin Rages Against the West in New Year Message to His People: Fatigued Dictator Appears on State TV to Accuse Western Powers of Using Ukraine as a Tool to Destroy Russia and Says He Launched Invasion to Protect Its ‘Motherland’

Putin, 70, looked strained and worn as he addressed Russians on television in each of the country’s 11 time zones just before midnight.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Russia Strikes Ukrainian Infrastructure Again as UN Warns of Serious Humanitarian Crisis

Russian forces keep pounding critical power infrastructure in Ukrainian cities, killing more civilians and leaving tens of thousands of more people without electricity, as its troops step up the pace of their relentless attacks along the entire front line in the east.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on December 15 that further strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure could lead to a serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation and spark further displacement.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said on December 15 that Russian artillery fire was concentrated on Bakhmut and Avdiyivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, as Moscow is seeking to stabilize its tactical positions around Kupyansk in the eastern Kharkiv region and Zaporizhzhya in the southeast.

The recently liberated southern city of Kherson was left completely without power following Russian shelling that also killed at least two people on December 15, according to the head of the Kherson regional military administration, Yaroslav Yanushevych.

The shelling of Kherson region injured nine people, Yanushevych said. Russian troops attacked the center of Kherson city for the second day in a row, he said, adding that among the victims is a volunteer from an international organization who helped people during the shelling.

           — Hat tip: JW [Return to headlines]
 

‘The Year of Our Victory’: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Issues Rallying Cry to Mark the Start of 2023 as He Denounces Strikes on His Country and Accuses Vladimir Putin of Hiding

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a rallying cry to mark the start of 2023 as he denounced strikes on his country and accused Russian President Putin of ‘hiding’.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Watch: Putin Says ‘The West Lied About Peace’ In New Year’s Address to Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered an unusual New Year’s address to his people on Saturday pledging victory against the “neo-Nazis” of the West who are intent on “destroying Russia.”

Putin kicked off his 9-minute speech by noting that the year 2022 “put a lot of things in their place — clearly separating courage and heroism from betrayal and cowardice.”

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

India: 20-Yr-Old Hindu Woman Stabbed 51 Times to Death With Screwdriver by Her Ex-Muslim Boyfriend in Chhattisgarh

The victim refused to talk to her ex-boyfriend as he had relations with many girls.

Sukirti Parihar | HENB | Raipur | Dec 30, 2022:: A Muslim man allegedly killed a 20-year-old Hindu woman by stabbing her 51 times with a screwdriver in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district after she refused to talk to him, police said on Tuesday. It is told that the one of the fatal stabbings with a long and strong screwdriver upon the victim pierced her lungs deadly.

The incident took place in the pump house colony of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) on December 24, city superintendent of police (Korba) Vishwadipak Tripathi said. According to the police, the victim was alone in the house when the accused arrived there. He covered her mouth with a pillow to muffle her screams and stabbed her 51 times with a screwdriver.

The victim’s brother found her in a pool of blood when he arrived home later, the official said. The victim died in Hospital not responding to treatment.

The victim was identified as Neelkusum Patra daughter of Budhram Patra.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused, who hails from Jashpur district, had befriended the victim three years ago when he was working as a conductor in a passenger bus and the woman used to travel by it, he said. The absconding accused has been identified as Shadab Khan.

The accused later moved to Ahmedabad in Gujarat for work and the duo stayed in touch over phone. After the woman stopped talking to him on the phone, the accused had also threatened her parents, the official said.

A case has been registered and four police teams have been formed to trace the missing accused, he added. The accused is still at large.

While the accused Shadab turned extremely jilted, assuming the relationship of his prey of love with another man, the victim Neelkusum stopped talking to Shadab for his misbehaviour and relationship with many girls in his game of play.

Earlier Shadab threatened Neelkusum for dire consequences if she would discontinue their relationship anyway, as divulged by the victim’s family.

The year 2022 is marked in India as The year of Islamic Killers in the name of Love Jihad. The Islamic brutality exceeded any limits in the cases of Shraddha Walkar, Rubika Paharia, Urvashi Vaishnav, Neelam Devi, Nidhi Gupta, Ankita Kumari murders with others in the same Love Jihad row.

           — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari [Return to headlines]
 

Brutalizing Women & Public Humiliation: Enforcing Zero-COVID in Guangzhou, China

At the beginning of 2022, a photo of a chained woman found in China’s Xuzhou city went viral. It was discovered she was a victim of human trafficking and was used as the family’s slave. Her gruesome story includes birthing children from various men. This enraged many in China who had lost daughters to human trafficking. Abduction of girls and young women is not uncommon in mainland China, where the ratio is 113 men for every 100 women in the 15-24 age group.

With the shortage of women over the past decades, one might expect that the Chinese citizenry would safeguard the rarer gender, taking extra measures to protect their safety and well-being.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. During the recent zero-COVID lockdowns in China, two women were brutally disciplined and once again unnecessarily tied up. The women were guilty of violating the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strict pandemic rules. While their hands were forcefully tied behind their backs, they were publicly shamed by their zero-COVID policy enforcers. This happened in southern China’s Guangzhou city and sparked anger among netizens and Chinese social media.

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

‘Mind Dominance’: The CCP’s Disinformation War on US Social Media

News Analysis

Clusters of new social media profiles emerge and interact with long-dormant accounts, seemingly exchanging viewpoints from across the American political spectrum.

Some sport American flags for profile pictures; others have images of beautiful women. Almost all are anonymous, though some impersonate real people.

In tweets and posts and messages they spread their views. Some stridently defend a woman’s right to have an abortion, others the right to life. Some defend the second amendment, others vehemently champion Black Lives Matter. Some claim that the United States is descending into a leftist tyranny. Still more say it’s headed toward fascism.

Above all, they post memes disparaging the United States’ political parties and governmental institutions. Here one finds a meme of President Joe Biden with a caption excoriating the Build Back Better slogan. Here one finds a meme of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) insinuating that the lawmaker has financial ties with Putin’s Russia.

It would be easy to conclude that these clusters of accounts are a perfect representation of the political polarization that has seized the United States in recent years. But it would be wrong.

None of these accounts are operated by Americans.

They are part of a wide-reaching series of interconnected influence operations conducted for the benefit of China’s communist regime, and they are just the tip of the iceberg.

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

Nigerian Nun Denounces Christian Persecution, Vatican Silence

ROME — A Nigerian religious sister has denounced ongoing targeted attacks on Christians in her country as well as the Vatican’s silence on the matter.

Sister Nkiru Esther Ezedinachi of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Lord Jesus told Crux, a U.S-based online Catholic news outlet, that Christianity in Nigeria “is very much threatened, and Christian leaders do not seem to worry much about it.”

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

Barbados Targets Hollywood Star Benedict Cumberbatch as Campaigners Demand Reparations Over the Sins of His Slave-Owning Ancestors

Benedict Cumberbatch’s family could be forced to pay reparations to Barbados for running a slave plantation on the island in the 18th and 19th century.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Bolsonaro Says “Nothing Justifies” Violence and Dissociates Himself From Protests Outside Barracks

The outgoing president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has affirmed that “nothing justifies” violent plans such as the one that allegedly foresaw an attack in the area of the Brasilia airport and has disassociated himself from the mobilizations organized in recent days in front of Armed Forces installations to demand a military uprising.

Brazilian security forces recently disarticulated an alleged plan to provoke chaos in the capital coinciding with the inauguration of the new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will begin a new four-year term of office this Sunday. The final objective of the detainee was to “provoke an intervention of the Armed Forces”, as he himself declared to the authorities.

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

‘Sea-Eye’ Demands Protection From German Government

The self-proclaimed sea rescuers of the Sea-Eye association have called on the German government to protect them from the Italian authorities during their activities in the Mediterranean. The government in Rome had previously passed a decree to control sea rescue off Italy’s coasts.

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

With Highest Arrivals Since 2016, Europe Saw a Silent Migrant Crisis in 2022

2022 saw the largest number of illegal entries into the European Union since the height of the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, on top of the wave of millions of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country’s conflict with Russia.

Frontex, the European Union border agency, released figures in December showing the number of migrants arriving illegally in the European Union in the first eleven months of the year, stating that over 308,000 non-Ukrainian migrants have been detected crossing the border, the largest number since 2016.

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

ABC Slammed for ‘Woke’ Coverage of Sydney’s 9pm New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Accused of ‘Excluding the Majority’ Of Viewers: ‘What an Absolute Disgrace’

The ABC’s live New Year’s Eve coverage has been slammed by viewers who branded the show ‘woke’ and ‘a disgrace’.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Abortions in Texas Drop 97% After Roe Reversal

(LifeSiteNews) — Recently released data shows that abortions committed in the state of Texas have decreased by 97 percent since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Based on data reported by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, 68 total abortions were committed in the month of July in Texas compared to the 2,533 babies who were killed in January.

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

Australia’s ‘ABC’ Rings in New Year’s With an ‘Embarrassing’ ‘Woke’ Bang, Gets Blasted as a ‘Disgrace’

The ABC from down under took major heat online this weekend after what many considered to be the outlet’s “woke” New Year’s Eve coverage.

“The ABC,” an Australian broadcasting company with no relationship to America’s similarly titled network, generated holiday controversy on Saturday with its supposedly progressive and LGBTQ-themed New Year’s Eve show.

Local viewers took to social media to describe the broadcast as “woke” and a “disgrace.”

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

‘Climate Impact’ Labels on Fast Food Items Deter People From Ordering Beef: Study

A recent study analyzed how people’s food ordering habits changed when labels were placed next to dish selections on a fast food menu that indicated the food’s supposed impact on climate change, and the study discovered that people who ate “sustainable” labeled options believed their fast food to be more healthy.

Participants who were exposed to a red “high-climate impact label” next to certain beef menu options were nearly a quarter less likely to order those options compared to a control group where no such label was present, according to the Daily Mail.

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

Federal Appeals Court Backs Florida School District That Blocked Transgender Student From Using Boys Bathroom

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Florida school district’s policy that separates school bathrooms by biological sex.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals announced its 7-4 decision on Friday, ruling that the St. Johns County School Board did not discriminate against transgender students based on sex, or violate federal civil rights law by requiring transgender students to use gender-neutral bathrooms or bathrooms matching their biological sex.

The court’s decision was split down party lines, with seven justices appointed by Republican presidents siding with the school district and four justices appointed by Democratic presidents siding with Drew Adams, a biological female, who sued the district in 2017 after not being allowed to use the boys restroom.

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

‘I Wanted Them Dead’: Trans Woman, 22, Confessed to Cops She Hit ‘Very Religious’ Father in Head With a Hammer Before Stabbing Him to Death — as Video Surfaces Where She Talks About Coming Out to Her Divorced Parents

Nikki Secondino, 22, a trans woman, allegedly confessed to killing her father and stabbing her sister following her arrest on Thursday night, as new details over her family turmoil is revealed.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Klaus Schwab’s World Economic Forum: The New Fascism

Since founding the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 1971, Klaus Schwab has grown his organization into arguably the most powerful entity in on the planet.

Yet most of the world’s population has never even heard of Schwab or the WEF, despite the group’s influence over global nations’ elected leaders.

Schwab, the WEF’s founder and sole chairman, is the original international man of mystery.

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

Scotland Police Blasted for Report Describing Pedophiles as ‘Minor-Attracted People’: ‘Baloney’

Police in Scotland have sparked outrage for describing pedophiles as “minor-attracted people” in a report.

Officials said the language in the year-end report was based on terminology used by the European Union.

In a year-end report, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said police have worked on a project that’s main agenda is “to develop understanding and approach to avoid the victimisation of children by engaging Minor-Attracted People (MAPs) and providing them with the necessary support, treatment and guidance to help prevent criminal activities.”

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

Texas Supreme Court Rules Against Father Seeking to Prevent ‘Chemical Castration’ of His Son Via Gender-Bending Hormones

The Texas Supreme Court ruled against a father who petitioned to prevent his ex-wife from taking his 7-year-old son to California for hormone treatments that amount to “chemical castration.”

“The Supreme Court of Texas denied my Mandamus, effectively terminating my parental rights. My children are now subject to being chemically castrated in California. Texas is an empire of child abuse, led by Texas judges,” Younger tweeted on Saturday.

Younger had for years been trying to prevent his son James from being subjected to “gender affirming” treatments advocated by ex-wife Dr. Anne Georgulas.

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

11 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/31/2022

  1. .

    Jan Guillou [author, writer, alleged KGB collaborator] writes column that “will be illegal tomorrow”

    Published 31 December 2022 in Fria Tider

    Aftonbladet has today published a column by Jan Guillou in which the Turkish intelligence service is accused of being behind a terrorist act against its own population. According to Guillou, the text could not be published tomorrow, when the new law on “foreign espionage” takes effect.

    “On 13 November, a terrorist attack took place on the main tourist street Istiqlal Street in Istanbul. The bomb attack that killed 6 and injured 81 people was most likely organized by the Turkish intelligence service.”

    So writes Jan Guillou, who claims that the terrorist act was carried out to justify an offensive against the Kurds of Syria, who were pointed out as the culprits.

    He further states that it was “likely” that Turkish operatives were also behind an alleged Kurdish grenade attack on a Turkish school, resulting in the deaths of three children.

    “Today, what I write in the following is legal. Tomorrow it will be criminalised. Then both myself and one or more editors at Aftonbladet would risk a spy conviction and prison. That’s how crazy the law has become,” Guillou writes on New Year’s Eve.

    He is referring to the new law on “foreign espionage” that comes into force tomorrow, 1 January. The law prohibits the publication of unofficial military information about Sweden’s, or our allies’, warfare abroad. Especially if such publication could disrupt our international relations.

    “The information about Turkey’s bombing war and war crimes and the run-up to the war is of course not official in the censorship state of Turkey. Thus classified. Thus ‘foreign espionage’ if they are published in the Swedish press tomorrow. But not today,” writes Guillou.

    Jan Guillou was convicted of espionage in the 1970s in the so-called IB affair. Together with fellow journalist Peter Bratt, he revealed that there was a secret [Social Democratic] organisation within the secret service that the Riksdag did not know about.

  2. The U.S. premier Sanctuary City of Nueva York started the year off with a bang, or should I say a slash, as an Islamic warrior attacked a rookie cop with a machete on his (the cop’s) first day of work.

    From the articles:

    “A rookie NYPD officer on his first day on the job was stabbed with a machete on New Year’s Eve just blocks from Times Square — and police believe the incident was Muslim terrorism. The officer — who graduated Friday and was assigned to a Staten Island precinct — was stationed at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue when the attack occurred.

    Two officers were stabbed and the Jihadi was shot and survived.”

    https://citizenfreepress.com/breaking/allahu-akbar-stabbing-attack-on-nyc-police/

    • With a 12 pound trigger pull on their Glocks I am not surprised the muzzy lived, that is why NEW York has the most fired rounds down range on suspects in the nation.

  3. I am offended that you called Pope Benedict, a direct descendent of Saint Peter, who was entrusted by Jesus at the Last Supper to guide what became the world’s largest religion, a “celebrity”.

    • Saint Peter was never the [pope]. The Roman Catholic church was founded in 1054ad. So it is NOT founded by Jesus Christ.

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