Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/1/2023

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury on four federal counts. The charges arose from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, but were not directly connected with that day’s events.

In other news, the Danish government is planning to ban Koran-burning after violent protests by Muslims in the Middle East.

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

Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

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

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

Financial Crisis
» 61% of Americans Say They Are Living Paycheck to Paycheck Even as Inflation Cools
» Dutch Inflation Drops to 4.6 Percent in July
» Fed-Up Canadians Are Leaving the Country Over Its High Cost of Living
» Inflation in Poland Down for the 5th Consecutive Month
 
USA
» Biden’s Anti-Semitism Czar Condemns Israel, Not Anti-Semites
» Biden Preparing to Declare Pandemic-Like ‘Climate Emergency,’ Energy Industry Insiders Warn
» California Jewelry Store Hit by Smash-and-Grab Robbers Who Snatched Nearly $900,000 in Merchandise
» Cases of Leprosy, ‘Historically Uncommon’ in US, Surge in Central Florida, CDC Says
» CDC Warns of Anthrax Bioterrorist Attack as FDA Approves Vaccine
» CNN Puts Biden on Notice: ‘Trump is in Historically Strong Position to Win White House in 2024’
» Columbia Reportedly Backtracks From Video Requirement Implemented After SCOTUS Decision Due to Scrutiny
» Confidence in US Military at Lowest Point in 26 Years: Gallup Poll
» Democrat Ted Lieu Blames Hot Weather on ‘Climate Deniers’
» DeSantis Invites Kamala to Meet as Early as Wednesday Unless She Has “A Trip to the Southern Border Planned That Day”
» Driver in Stolen Car Jumps Curb, Hits Pedestrian on Sidewalk in Durham
» Exclusive: General, West Point Professor Ran Shadow Investigation to Hunt Down and Silence Military Whistleblower for Mean Tweets
» Fatal Stabbing of Dancer at Brooklyn Gas Station Being Investigated as Possible Hate Crime, Police Say
» George Soros Bankrolls Mysterious Institution Looking to Flip Texas to Democrats, Records Show
» George Soros-Tied Fund Fortress Buys Bankrupt Vice Media for $350M
» House Oversight Committee Launches Probe Into Hunter Biden’s ‘Art’ Sales as Buyer Exposed as Democrat Donor
» Nearly 40 Teens Charged After ‘Disorderly’ Gathering in South Loop: Chicago Police
» NY Times Changes Tune as Evidence Mounts: It’s ‘Long Been Known’ That Biden ‘Interacted’ With Hunter’s ‘Business Partners’
» The CIA Has Taken Control of the Majority of Key American and Western Media — Robert Kennedy
» Trump’s 2024 GOP Rivals Weigh in on Former President’s January 6 Probe Indictment
» Trump Indicted on Charges Out of Special Counsel Probe Into Jan. 6
» Unassuming Warehouse in California Turns Out to be Illegal Chinese-Run Virus Laboratory That Was Genetically Engineering Mice and Experimenting With HIV, Herpes and Malaria
» Vegan Raw Foods Influencer Starved to Death
 
Canada
» Canadian Pastor Convicted of Inciting Mischief in Trucker Protests Facing Up to 10 Years Prison
» Meta Starts Blocking News in Canada Over Law on Paying Publishers
» Summer of Smoke: WCCO Visits Canada’s Hub of Operations as Nation Battles 5,000 Wildfires
» Watch: Trudeau Loses it After Being Asked a Simple Question About Seeking Peace in Ukraine
 
Europe and the EU
» AfD MEP Maximillian Krah: “The EU is a Disaster for Germany and Europe”
» ‘Anti-Globalist’ Meloni Cozies Up With Biden Administration
» Austria: Sky-High Dissatisfaction With Political System; FPÖ’s Kickl Rising
» Court Orders Facebook to Reveal Who Accused Dutchman of Transgressive Behavior
» Czechia: Mayor of Brno Under Fire Over Viral Photo Suggesting Cocaine Use
» Czech Republic Gains Economic Benefit From EU Membership, According to Ministry of Finance
» Denmark Set to Ban Burning of Qur’an Amid Islamist Protests in Middle East
» Electric Car Battery Causes Deadly Fire on Carrier Ship
» ESA Ponders European Spaceports Ahead of Budget Review
» Germany: Shock Poll: Support for Anti-Globalist AfD Hits New Record High, Again
» Germany: Exclusive Interview With AfD Party Member Petr Bystron: “We Were the Only Party Defending People’s Interests on the Streets’
» German Establishment Panicking as Support for AfD Reaches New All-Time High, Again
» German Police Officers Deserve Abuse as They Are a Threat to Democracy, Claims Youth Wing of Governing SPD
» Hollywood Film Industry Strike Could Hit Hungary’s GDP
» Poland Faces Historic Decline in Birth Rate, Lowest Since WWII Amidst Aging Population Crisis
» Political Pressure and Personal Struggles: AfD Party Representative Out Against Oppression in Germany — Exclusive
» Pope Francis Amplifies His Travel Itinerary With Unexpected Overnight Stay in France
» Southern Europe Braces for More Record Heat as Temporary COO-Down is Expected to be Short-Lived
» UK Abandons Plans for Its Own Quality Mark, Allows Indefinite Use of EU’s “Ce” Label Post-Brexit
» UK: Bank Bends the Knee to Farage: Cancels Closure of Account in Desperate Bid to End Growing Scandal
» UK: Labour Snatches Green Victory Out of Tories’ Hands
» UK: Tories All Talk, No Game on Fighting Shoplifting
 
Middle East
» Syrian Bishops Plea for an End to EU Sanctions
 
Russia
» Elon Musk Shut Down Starlink Access for Ukrainian Drone Attack Plot Against Russian Navy: Report
» If Wagner Group Attacks Poland, it Will be Recognized as an Attack by Russia, Warns US Ambassador
» No Breakthrough Yet in Ukraine’s Counteroffensive
» Ukrainian Orthodox Church Rejects Zelensky’s Christmas Date Change
 
Far East
» The Big Eco Lie: Solar Panels Produce Five Times More Carbon Dioxide Than Previously Thought, Report Claims
 
Australia — Pacific
» Australia’s Prime Minister Stands Firm Against the US on WikiLeaks Founder’s Prosecution
» Canadian Restaurant Receipt Charging Diners a ‘Land Tax’ Sparks Fears Over Indigenous Voice to Parliament Referendum
» Police ‘Ambush’ Climate Protesters Outside Home of Woodside Boss Meg O’Neill
» Unliveable West Ryde House Sells for Almost $2 Million as Sale Shocks North-West Sydney Residents and Real Estate Agent
» Why House Prices Keep on Rising in Sydney — Despite 12 Interest Rates Since May Last Year
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» France Evacuating EU Citizens From Coup-Hit Niger, Escalation Looms
 
Immigration
» Afghan Migrants Stab Each Other During Brawl Near EU Parliament
» Dutch Asylum Applications Continue to Soar Ahead of Upcoming Elections
» Germany: New 128-Apartment Social Housing Complex Exclusively Reserved for Asylum Seekers in Berlin
» Germany: 2nd Migrant Arrested for Gang Rape in Berlin’s Görlitzer Park After Police Hid Details of the Case for a Month
» Migrant Smugglers Advertise on TikTok for Journey Into Poland
» NYC’s Roosevelt Hotel Becomes Epicenter of City’s 60,000-Strong Refugee Crisis in Shocking Scenes From Manhattan
» Serbia: Locals Live in Fear Amid Massive Migrant Gun Battles Near Hungarian Border
» Sweden to Tighten Borders Amid Quran Protests
» UK: More Than Fifty Migrants Crammed Into Each Boat Crossing the Channel in July: Average Number of People on Each Vessel Reaches Record High, Figures Show
 
Culture Wars
» California School Board President Speaks Out After Receiving ‘Death Threats’ for Supporting Parents: ‘Evil’
» Coors Light, Miller Light Combined Sales Now ‘50% Bigger Than Bud Light’: Molson Coors CEO
» New Boycott as UK Coffee Giant Celebrates Women Having Breasts Removed
» Oklahoma Gov. Signs ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ Into Law to Protect Girls From ‘Out of Control Gender Ideology’
» Richard Dawkins Slams Transgender ‘Distortion of Reality’: ‘Sex Really is Binary’
» The Indoctrination of America’s Boys is Not Working…
 

61% of Americans Say They Are Living Paycheck to Paycheck Even as Inflation Cools

By many measures, consumers who have been squeezed by higher prices should be experiencing some relief.

Recent releases show that, at least compared with the soaring inflation of a year ago, prices have begun to ease. The consumer price index, which measures inflation, increased 3% from a year ago, which is the lowest level since March 2021, while the personal consumption expenditures price index also notched the lowest annual level in more than two years.

And yet, as of June, 61% of adults still say they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a new LendingClub report, unchanged from a year ago.

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

Dutch Inflation Drops to 4.6 Percent in July

The rate at which prices are rising in the Netherlands fell further in July compared to a month earlier, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported based on a quick initial estimation. Inflation this month was 4.6 percent. In June, it was still 5.7 percent. In that month, the stats office used a new method for measuring energy prices in the inflation rate for the first time.

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

Fed-Up Canadians Are Leaving the Country Over Its High Cost of Living

Here’s the reality of some costs in Canada

Life in Canada has gotten expensive and the cost of living has risen dramatically since the world was hit with the dual crises of Covid-19 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But things have gotten so bad it’s forcing some to look for greener pastures.

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

Inflation in Poland Down for the 5th Consecutive Month

Inflation in Poland sank 10.8 percent year-over-year in July, compared to 11.5 percent in June, and on a month-by-month basis, prices actually fell 0.2 percent, according to Statistics Poland (GUS). However, food prices in Poland over the past 12 months have increased by 15.6 percent and energy prices by 16.7 percent, while fuel prices have fallen by 15.5 percent.

For the third month running, overall inflation has not increased.

Inflation has been coming down from the 18.4 percent peak it reached in February. According to analysts, single-digit inflation may be reached in August. They expect inflation to fall to around 7.5 percent by the end of the year.

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

Biden’s Anti-Semitism Czar Condemns Israel, Not Anti-Semites

by Daniel Greenfield

In the early days of June, Deborah Lipstadt, Biden’s antisemitism czar, flew to the United Arab Emirates and condemned Israel’s government while claiming that she worries that the Netanyahu government’s defense of Jews against Islamic terrorism might worsen antisemitism.

This was exactly the kind of excuse for antisemitism that the new White House strategy on antisemitism that she was touting was supposed to stop. Instead, the antisemitism czar promoting the antisemitism strategy was falling into the same kind of behavior.

Since the release of the Biden administration’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, Lipstadt appears to have condemned three foreign governments: Israel, Hungary and Russia.

Lipstadt blasted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, accusing him of “rhetoric that clearly evokes Nazi racial ideology”, for criticizing Muslim migration into Europe.

Was Lipstadt functioning as the envoy to combat antisemitism or Islamophobia?…

           — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield [Return to headlines]
 

Biden Preparing to Declare Pandemic-Like ‘Climate Emergency,’ Energy Industry Insiders Warn

Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration is preparing to declare a “climate emergency” with Covid pandemic-like restrictions on public freedoms, several energy industry insiders are warning.

Energy industry groups fear the Biden White House is planning to declare a pandemic-like emergency that will grant the president sweeping new powers.

“They’re leaning to that direction,” U.S. Oil and Gas Association President Tim Stewart told Just the News.

“If you grant the president’s emergency powers to declare a climate emergency, it’s just like Covid.”

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

California Jewelry Store Hit by Smash-and-Grab Robbers Who Snatched Nearly $900,000 in Merchandise

A group of masked thieves ransacked a Southern California jewelry store Monday and made off with nearly $900,000 in merchandise, police said.

The heist occurred around 12:20 p.m. at the Park Place shopping center in Irvine, 40 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, when three suspects dressed in all black and carrying what appeared to be plastic trash cans ran into the store, according to surveillance footage released by the Irvine Police Department.

They used hammers to smash the display cases. They were seen taking the jewelry and placing them in the trash cans.

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

Cases of Leprosy, ‘Historically Uncommon’ in US, Surge in Central Florida, CDC Says

Cases of leprosy are surging in central Florida, according to a recent research letter shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The authors said that the Sunshine State has “witnessed an increased incidence of leprosy cases lacking traditional risk factors,” with trends contributing to “rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in the southeastern United States.”

“Travel to Florida should be considered when conducting leprosy contact tracing in any state,” they wrote.

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

CDC Warns of Anthrax Bioterrorist Attack as FDA Approves Vaccine

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just issued an update warning of the threat of anthrax being used as a bioterrorist attack.

The CDC updated its website to warn that anthrax would most likely be used if the United States is hit with a bioterrorist attack.

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

CNN Puts Biden on Notice: ‘Trump is in Historically Strong Position to Win White House in 2024’

CNN’s data analyst Harry Enten has issued a warning to President Joe Biden and the Democrats about the coming 2024 election.

Enten warns President Donald Trump is in a historically strong position to win back the White House, spelling doom for Biden and the Democrats.

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

Columbia Reportedly Backtracks From Video Requirement Implemented After SCOTUS Decision Due to Scrutiny

Columbia Law School has reportedly backtracked from a recently implemented policy requiring applicants to submit video statements as part of the admissions process, after facing scrutiny.

The law school added a new video requirement for all applicants to record a 90-second video statement to give the admissions committee greater “insight” into their personal strengths and achievements, an archived webpage from July 31 reveals. Critics accused the school of trying to circumvent the recent Supreme Court decision which struck down race-based college admissions practices.

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

Confidence in US Military at Lowest Point in 26 Years: Gallup Poll

Authored by Ryan Morgan via The Epoch Times

Confidence in one of the most trusted institutions in the United States, the military, has fallen to its lowest point in more than 25 years, according to a new poll by Gallup.

On Monday, Gallup shared the results of a June poll, which found about 60 percent of U.S. adults who were surveyed expressed either a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the U.S. military, while the remainder expressed “very little” or only “some” confidence in the military. This figure marks the lowest level of confidence in the U.S. military since 1997.

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

Democrat Ted Lieu Blames Hot Weather on ‘Climate Deniers’

Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) has issued a statement blaming the recent hot weather on so-called “climate deniers.”

Lieu took to Twitter to share false claims from CNN regarding the heatwaves and alleged “climate crisis.”

He then urged his followers to “blame a climate denier” for higher temperatures during the peak summer months.

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

DeSantis Invites Kamala to Meet as Early as Wednesday Unless She Has “A Trip to the Southern Border Planned That Day”

Governor Ron DeSantis sent a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris to extend an invitation to discuss Florida’s black history education in schools. The letter includes just the right amount of subtle snark.

The reason there is an opportunity for DeSantis to appear to take the high road in an ongoing war of words about black history curriculum is because Kamala inserted herself into the political hot potato issue. Democrats deliberately distorted new standards in education in Florida because the wildly popular governor is running for president. Kamala and the Democrats want one red state’s school curriculum to be a part of the presidential campaign. The distortion revolves around teaching middle school students that black people got some personal benefits from skills learned while they were slaves.

DeSantis invited Kamala to come and meet with him and Dr. William Allen, one of the black scholars who created the new history curriculum.

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

Driver in Stolen Car Jumps Curb, Hits Pedestrian on Sidewalk in Durham

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — A driver in stolen car crashes into pedestrian while trying to escape arrest, Durham County Sheriff’s Office said.

It happened at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday. A Durham County deputy was on East Main Street when they saw a black sedan almost hit someone walking. As the deputy tried to pull the car over on Queen Street the sedan jumped the curb and ran into someone else walking down the sidewalk.

The driver and two passengers jumped and ran from the stolen sedan, according to the sheriff’s office. A deputy was able to catch up to and take the driver of the car into custody. That driver’s identity has not been released because they are a juvenile.

Juvenile petitions have been sought for the driver. Investigators said the driver was on pretrial monitoring for previous charges but had removed the electronic monitoring device.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Exclusive: General, West Point Professor Ran Shadow Investigation to Hunt Down and Silence Military Whistleblower for Mean Tweets

An Army three-star general and a West Point associate professor used government resources in an unofficial investigation to hunt down and punish an anonymous active-duty whistleblower who criticized Army leaders and the Biden administration on social media, according to private emails and text messages obtained exclusively by Breitbart News.

Army Training and Doctrine Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Maria Gervais and Army Maj. Jessica Dawson — who is also an “information warfare research scientist” at the Army Cyber Institute — used their official authority and access to government resources to track down the whistleblower and get him identified publicly and punished by his chain of command.

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

Fatal Stabbing of Dancer at Brooklyn Gas Station Being Investigated as Possible Hate Crime, Police Say

The fatal stabbing of a New York City dancer is being investigated as a possible hate crime, police sources said on Tuesday.

Shortly before midnight on July 29, the NYPD received a call regarding a stabbing at a Brooklyn gas station, police said.

When officers arrived, they found 28-year-old O’Shae Sibley with a stab wound to his torso, according to police.

He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. No arrests have been made, but police sources told WCBS on Tuesday that the NYPD has identified a suspect and the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Surveillance footage from the gas station shows Sibley and his friends getting into an argument with a group of men as well as the commotion surrounding Sibley’s stabbing.

Witnesses said Sibley and his friends were dancing and voguing when a man walked up to them and allegedly made homophobic comments, CBS New York reported.

Sibley’s untimely death has shocked his family and friends.

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

George Soros Bankrolls Mysterious Institution Looking to Flip Texas to Democrats, Records Show

Financier George Soros is almost single-handedly bankrolling a mysterious Texas entity working to build up progressive infrastructure across the Lone Star State in attempts to elect more Democrats, records reviewed by Fox News Digital show.

According to Federal Election Commission filings released Monday, George Soros’s Democracy PAC II has provided $750,000 to the Texas Majority PAC during the year’s first half. Meanwhile, the Texas Majority PAC’s state filings show that the group raised $752,040 during that time, meaning Soros has financially propelled the group.

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

George Soros-Tied Fund Fortress Buys Bankrupt Vice Media for $350M

Bankrupt media company Vice Media — once worth nearly $6 billion — has been sold to a consortium of former lenders that include a fund linked to George Soros for $350 million.

Vice, which was co-founded by the larger-than-life media exec Shane Smith, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May after months of struggling to pay its bills.

Multiple offers for the insolvent media firm emerged but a bankruptcy court judge in the Southern District of New York said in June that the best option came from the group of lenders that also include Fortress Investment Group and Monroe Capital.

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

House Oversight Committee Launches Probe Into Hunter Biden’s ‘Art’ Sales as Buyer Exposed as Democrat Donor

The House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into the controversial sales of Hunter Biden’s “art” after details of one of the buyers were exposed.

As Slay News recently reported, prominent Democrat donor Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, a Los Angeles real estate investor, was uncovered as one of the anonymous buyers.

Shortly after Joe Biden was sworn into office, his son Hunter suddenly declared that he was an “artist.”

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

Nearly 40 Teens Charged After ‘Disorderly’ Gathering in South Loop: Chicago Police

CHICAGO (WLS) — Forty people, mostly teenagers, were charged with misdemeanors after Chicago police said a large group became disorderly on Sunday night.

Police responded to the South Loop’s 100-block of West Roosevelt Road at about 8 p.m. where they said the group gathered. Police said the group became disorderly and disregarded verbal commands by officers.

Witness Alvin Jackson said at first, things appeared to be peaceful. Then, a small group of teenagers started to block traffic and attempt to break into stores.

“It was just a few kids, and then it got thicker and thicker and thicker, and then they kept coming and coming, and kept coming,” Jackson said. “Throwing bottles, jumping on people’s cars, trying to start fights and trying to fun into stores and stuff like that.”

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

NY Times Changes Tune as Evidence Mounts: It’s ‘Long Been Known’ That Biden ‘Interacted’ With Hunter’s ‘Business Partners’

The New York Times is now changing its tune as the narrative from the White House crumbles regarding Democrat President Joe Biden’s role in his family business.

The NY Times is now claiming that it “has long been known” that the president “interacted” with his son Hunter Biden’s “business partners.”

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

The CIA Has Taken Control of the Majority of Key American and Western Media — Robert Kennedy

The CIA has taken control of the majority of key American and Western media outlets.

This was stated in an interview with Lex Friedman by Robert Kennedy, a candidate for the US presidential elections, as reported by the publication of Inosmi. According to Kennedy, through mass media, the intelligence agency promotes propagandistic narratives, including those related to the Ukrainian crisis.

Robert Kennedy: For most of its existence, the CIA was prohibited from conducting propaganda among Americans, but as we found out, they were still involved in it. So, in 1973, during the Church Committee hearings, we learned about the CIA’s Operation “Mockingbird,” which involved at least 400 individuals, prominent members of the US journalistic pool.

Representatives from The New York Times, The Washington Post, ABC, CBS, and NBC secretly collaborated with the agency, promoting CIA priorities. In ‘73, they decided to shut down the operation, but there are indications that it never really stopped, and the CIA remains the main sponsor of journalism worldwide through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). I believe that the USA funds media in almost every country; they own newspapers, and thousands of journalists work for them. This shouldn’t be the case, but in 2016, President Obama changed the law and legalized CIA propaganda among Americans. You can’t look at the Ukrainian conflict, see how the narrative was formed in the minds of Americans, and say that the CIA is not involved in it.

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

Trump’s 2024 GOP Rivals Weigh in on Former President’s January 6 Probe Indictment

Donald Trump’s rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are weighing in on Tuesday’s blockbuster announcement that the former president’s been indicted in the probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

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

Trump Indicted on Charges Out of Special Counsel Probe Into Jan. 6

FIRST ON FOX: Former President Trump was indicted Tuesday on charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump was indicted on four federal charges out of the probe, including conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

Trump has been ordered to appear in federal court in Washington D.C. for his arraignment on Thursday, Aug. 3, at 4:00 p.m.

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

Unassuming Warehouse in California Turns Out to be Illegal Chinese-Run Virus Laboratory That Was Genetically Engineering Mice and Experimenting With HIV, Herpes and Malaria

A central California city is reeling after a nondescript warehouse turned out to be an illicit lab replete with stored biohazards including coronavirus, HIV, and malaria.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Vegan Raw Foods Influencer Starved to Death

I will readily admit that I don’t have a great diet.

While not a junk food junkie, I do down 4-5 Coke Zeros a day and have too many carbs in my diet to be healthy. While I am down about 25-30 lbs from my top weight, I could lose another 40 without being below my ideal weight.

But with that said, even my diet is far healthier than this poor woman who literally starved herself to death trying to eat what she thought was a healthy diet. Even worse, as a social media influencer, she has thousands of followers who have followed her advice. Some still insist that her diet couldn’t have killed her.

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

Canadian Pastor Convicted of Inciting Mischief in Trucker Protests Facing Up to 10 Years Prison

Authored by Allan Stein via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

Pastor Artur Pawlowski’s troubles with the Canadian authorities began long before his sermon to commercial truckers encouraging their peaceful defiance against what he thought were “oppressive” public health mandates for COVID-19.

In 2005, he began serving and ministering to downtown Calgary—Alberta’s poor and downtrodden. “In other words, feeding the homeless and praying for them, which is now illegal,” he described to The Epoch Times in a telephone interview while under house arrest in Calgary following his court conviction in May for inciting mischief and violating his release conditions.

The police eventually showed up at Mr. Pawlowski’s church, telling him he couldn’t feed the homeless by law. Neither was he allowed to assemble or preach in public.

Such actions are also illegal and punishable with tickets, fines, and even jail time.

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

Meta Starts Blocking News in Canada Over Law on Paying Publishers

OTTAWA, Aug 1 (Reuters) — Meta Platforms (META.O) has begun the process to end access to news on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada, it said on Tuesday, in response to law requiring internet giants to pay news publishers.

The Canadian government quickly denounced the move as “irresponsible,” and said the world is watching the process play out in Canada.

The Online News Act, passed by the Canadian parliament, would force platforms like Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta to negotiate commercial deals with Canadian news publishers for their content.

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

Summer of Smoke: WCCO Visits Canada’s Hub of Operations as Nation Battles 5,000 Wildfires

WINNIPEG, MB, CANADA — The country known as “The Great White North” is also known for being green, as Canada is home to nearly 10% of the world’s forests.

Those same forests, however, are now the fuel to what is perhaps the most intense wildfire season in the nation’s history, if not the most significant wildfire crisis around the globe. More than 5,000 fires have raged since May across Canada, tearing through at least 29 million acres of land — and counting.

Tens of thousands of Canadians have been displaced from their homes because of the flames, while the mountainous plumes of smoke continue to pollute large swaths of North America, including Minnesota and Wisconsin.

WCCO News travels to Canada

To help bring answers to what’s happening — and why — WCCO News traveled to Canada to spend several days north of the border and was among the very first American news operations to get inside access to firefighting operations.

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

Watch: Trudeau Loses it After Being Asked a Simple Question About Seeking Peace in Ukraine

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been holding cross-country town halls for the past many weeks, while presenting himself as a “man of the people”—as these events are giving ordinary Canadians a rare chance to ask him unvetted questions. But apparently you’d better ask the “right” questions, or else he’ll blow up and attack you personally as the questioner. A new clip has surfaced of a recent exchange centered on a very legitimate question from an audience member about Ukraine, and Canada’s refusal to push for peace.

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

AfD MEP Maximillian Krah: “The EU is a Disaster for Germany and Europe”

Maximilian Krah leads the AfD into the EU elections after a grueling party conference. In an interview with JUNGE FREIHEIT, he talks about the upcoming right-wing faction in Brussels and what the AfD actually intends to do with the EU.

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

‘Anti-Globalist’ Meloni Cozies Up With Biden Administration

U.S. President Joe Biden, after having vilified Prime Minister Georgia Meloni as anti-democratic just as he had done to her EU allies in the Polish government, has extended high praise to the Italian leader—again, just as he did with Poland’s ruling PiS party—for taking positions and implementing policies that align with Washinton’s interests.

Biden, despite having previously described Meloni’s victory last September as “worrying for democracy,” put aside differences on social issues like immigration, abortion, and LGBT issues and lauded the Italian prime minister for fervently backing U.S.-led efforts to equip and aid Kyiv in the Russo-Ukrainian wars, the Milan-based daily newspaper Corriere Della Sera reported.

Biden, while addressing the press in the Oval Office, even went so far as to say that he and Meloni had become “friends.”

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

Austria: Sky-High Dissatisfaction With Political System; FPÖ’s Kickl Rising

On the heels of a recently published opinion poll that indicated 3/4ths of the Austrian population is dissatisfied with the ÖVP-Green federal coalition, a new survey revealed that the proportion of citizens disaffected with the political system has risen substantially over the past several years.

In this year’s European Values Study, conducted by the University of Vienna, over 2,000 citizens who participated in the survey were asked: “How satisfied are you with the way the political system in Austria is currently working?”

Results showed that a dismal 38% of respondents reported feeling satisfied with Austria’s political system in 2022, down from 67% who gave the same answer in 2018.

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

Court Orders Facebook to Reveal Who Accused Dutchman of Transgressive Behavior

The court in The Hague ordered Facebook owner Meta to reveal the identity of an anonymous Facebook user who accused a Dutchman of transgressive behavior on the platform, NU.nl reports.

In various Facebook groups about dating, the anonymous person accused the Dutchman of using women and then dumping them, being a pathological liar, and secretly recording women. The accusations were accompanied by photos of the man.

The man doesn’t know who is behind the account. According to him, the allegations are untrue and intimidating and caused a lot of damage. He asked the court to order Meta to delete the posts and reveal who posted them.

The court ruled that Meta only has to delete the posts if they have proven to be false and unjustified, which it can’t do without more information. So the posts can stay online for the time being. But it did order Meta to reveal the poster’s identity to the man. According to the court, the man’s interests in addressing the allegations outweigh those of the anonymous Facebook user and Facebook itself.

Meta must share the username, email address, and telephone number linked to the account. Every day that the tech company fails to do so, it must pay a penalty of 1,000 euros. That amount can climb to a maximum of 100,000 euros.

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

Czechia: Mayor of Brno Under Fire Over Viral Photo Suggesting Cocaine Use

The mayor of Brno may lose her position over a photo with “lines” of white powder.

Marketa Vankova who is the mayor of the second-largest Czech city, Brno, is embroiled in a scandal. Last weekend, a photograph in which she is seen in the company of people holding a smartphone with “lines” of white powder and a rolled-up piece of paper in front of her went viral on social media. Internet users immediately speculated that the picture depicted the consumption of cocaine.

The source of the photo and the date it was taken are unknown and its authenticity is in doubt. The politician initially stated that it was a crude photo montage. In an interview with Nova TV on Monday, she admitted that the photo could be real but she does not remember the situation.

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

Czech Republic Gains Economic Benefit From EU Membership, According to Ministry of Finance

The Czech Ministry of Finance has calculated the benefit of the country’s membership in the EU. In the first six months of 2023, the Czech Republic received 79.5 billion crowns from the EU budget, and contributed 33.9 billion crowns to it. Thus, the republic ended up with a surplus of 45.6 billion crowns. The Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic announced this on Monday.

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

Denmark Set to Ban Burning of Qur’an Amid Islamist Protests in Middle East

In a capitulation in the battle for freedom of speech, the Kingdom of Denmark is set to introduce legislation prohibiting the burning of the Qur’an in front of embassies within the country.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has announced that the neo-liberal Nordic government will impose restrictions on the burning of the Islamic holy book, although how and when such legislation will be implemented remains to be seen.

The announcement in itself, Rasmussen said, was therefore more of an overture to the Muslim world in the hopes of preventing any violent reprisals in Denmark or its overseas outposts.

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

Electric Car Battery Causes Deadly Fire on Carrier Ship

Emergency responders to a large fire which has been blazing for almost a week on a car carrier off the Dutch coast say this is likely to have been caused by an electric car on board.

Initial reports put the number of electric vehicles on the Fremantle Highway carrier at 25. It has since been confirmed that of the total 3,783 vehicles, 498 are battery-electric cars.

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

ESA Ponders European Spaceports Ahead of Budget Review

“Europe must wake up” and secure its place in a fast developing new space race, the director of the European Space Agency (ESA) Dr. Josef Aschbacher has declared in an interview with The Telegraph, as he warned that the Continent was facing total dependence on outside powers to operate its space programme.

A €7 billion per annum transnational organisation consisting of 22 nations, the ESA has been crippled by the war in Ukraine, which has forced it to rely solely on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets to launch satellites into orbit after sanctions prevented it from using Russian Soyuz rockets.

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

Germany: Shock Poll: Support for Anti-Globalist AfD Hits New Record High, Again

For the third time in a month, support for the right-wing anti-globalist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has soared to a new record high, with the latest polling data revealing that if parliamentary elections were held this weekend, the party would garner 23% of the national vote, placing it just 3 points behind the CDU/CSU.

The opinion survey, this time carried out by the Institute for New Social Answers (INSA) on behalf of BILD, revealed that the establishment Union—comprising the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its regional sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria—would together collect the most votes nationwide, at 26%.

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

Germany: Exclusive Interview With AfD Party Member Petr Bystron: “We Were the Only Party Defending People’s Interests on the Streets’

In the world of modern politics, where the geopolitical landscape is constantly shifting, pioneering figures emerge on the scene. One such individual is Petr Bystron, a German politician and the chairman of the party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD).

October 24, 2017, marked a crucial moment in Petr Bystron’s political career, as he was elected as a member of the Bundestag, representing AfD. This step allowed him to directly influence decisions concerning the country’s future and advocate for his principles at the highest level.

However, Petr Bystron’s influence extends beyond Germany’s domestic arena, reaching the European political stage. In 2021, he was elected to the Federal Assembly and became AfD’s selected candidate, ranked second on the list for the European elections.

Petr Bystron’s primary political concerns revolve around migration, freedom of speech, and citizens’ privacy. He staunchly supports the idea that each country should retain the right to independently address the issue of forced migrant placement in Europe and safeguard its borders. Additionally, he vehemently opposes internet censorship, viewing it as a threat to freedom of expression and democracy. His stance on abolishing cash has sparked debates as he perceives it as a potential path to total surveillance and control.

Our editorial team conducted an interview with Petr Bystron to delve into the problems and proposed solutions that he and the AfD party advocate for as a whole.

The interview was given in English with language and stylistics of the original preserved.

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

German Establishment Panicking as Support for AfD Reaches New All-Time High, Again

If the European elections were on Sunday, the AfD would achieve an absolute record result and exceed its predictions for the federal elections. According to Insa, the party is just 3% behind the Union parties.

The AfD has reached a new all-time high at the opinion research institute Insa. In a survey for the European elections, support for the AfD climbed to 23 percent. That is more than twice as much as four years ago in the previous election. In 2019, the party received 11.0 percent. EU elections are set to take place on June 9, 2024.

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

German Police Officers Deserve Abuse as They Are a Threat to Democracy, Claims Youth Wing of Governing SPD

Police officers deserve to be abused because they are a threat to security and democracy, the youth wing of Germany’s largest governing party has claimed.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) youth group, JUSOS Leipzig, evidenced the rift between the SPD’s major politicians and its young activists by responding to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser’s call to respect the police for preserving law and order.

“Every day, tens of thousands of police officers in the federal and state governments put their lives on the line for our security and our democracy. They deserve our respect and not insults,” Faeser posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday.

It appears the SPD politician’s call was not heeded by the young members of her own party, however, who hit back on the same platform.

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

Hollywood Film Industry Strike Could Hit Hungary’s GDP

The strike involving the United States’ largest media professionals labor union, SAG-AFTRA, could have a measurable negative impact on Hungary’s GDP, business daily Vilaggazdasag reports.

Hollywood writers have been on strike since May 1, and the actors’ union went on strike in mid-July. This means that U.S. film and TV production has come to a complete standstill. The effects of this will spill over to Hungary in the short term, as several major Hollywood studios have been coming to Hungary to film every year.

“With Hollywood studios gone, Hungary will lose around HUF 70-80 billion (€180 million to €206 million) in tax revenue,” tax consultancy and law firm Andersen Hungary, wrote in a statement.

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

Poland Faces Historic Decline in Birth Rate, Lowest Since WWII Amidst Aging Population Crisis

Poland has recorded its lowest birth rate since the end of World War II, indicating a severe challenge to the nationalist government’s efforts to manage the country’s rapidly aging populace.

According to the National Statistics Office, the count of births declined to 290,975 in the year up to June, a drop of nearly 9% from the previous year. This new low continues a downtrend in the European Union’s sixth-largest economy that has persisted since 2018.

The opposition has criticized the failure to halt Poland’s demographic drift, as it aims to overthrow the incumbent Law & Justice party in the anticipated parliamentary election in October. Earlier this year, the ruling party enhanced its signature child-benefit policy, pledging to raise monthly family allowances from 500 zloty ($200) to 800. Despite widespread support for the benefit, including from the leading opposition party, it has had limited impact on the demographic shift. An aging workforce has resulted in increased pension burdens and emerging labor shortages.

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

Political Pressure and Personal Struggles: AfD Party Representative Out Against Oppression in Germany — Exclusive

Representative of the political party AfD, Petr Bystron, stated that there is currently pressure being exerted on older parties throughout Germany, which, in his words, do not work for the people.

“We are the only party which is working really for the people. So it means the moment when they will start working again for the people, do normal politics for our German population, then we can immediately work together. And big parts of the CDU are already trying to do that on a local level, so we already showed that it is possible,” Bystron said in an exclusive interview with Voice of Europe.

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

Pope Francis Amplifies His Travel Itinerary With Unexpected Overnight Stay in France

Pope Francis has announced a two-day visit to Marseille, France, scheduled for late September. This comes as an addition to a string of trips planned by the 86-year-old Pope, marking his quick recovery after undergoing abdominal surgery.

Earlier this year, the Pope had mentioned his intention to visit the port city for a meeting with Mediterranean-area Catholic bishops. However, the precise duration of his stay was only revealed with the Vatican’s recent release of his itinerary for the September 22-23 journey.

The second day in Marseille includes meetings with bishops and leading a Mass in the city’s soccer stadium. Just prior to this trip, on August 2, the Pope will head to Lisbon, Portugal, for a five-day visit centered around a Catholic youth gathering. The Pope will also make a helicopter journey to Fatima, a revered shrine to the Virgin Mary.

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

Southern Europe Braces for More Record Heat as Temporary COO-Down is Expected to be Short-Lived

After a temporary reprieve from the sweltering heat and fires of July, the Mediterranean region is preparing for the possibility of more record-breaking temperatures later this month.

Mainland Europe is expected to experience wet and windy conditions in August, with temperatures lower than average. However, forecasters surveyed by Bloomberg predict that the latter half of the month will witness a return of above-average heat to Spain, southern Italy, and Greece, raising the potential for new all-time high temperatures. Last month, Rome and Catalonia set new temperature records, while Sardinia matched the European record for July at 48C (118.4F). These records could potentially be surpassed.

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

UK Abandons Plans for Its Own Quality Mark, Allows Indefinite Use of EU’s “Ce” Label Post-Brexit

The UK government, led by Rishi Sunak, has conceded its previous intentions of enforcing its own product safety standard after Brexit, allowing companies to use the European Union’s “CE” safety mark indefinitely. The decision responds to criticism from businesses regarding the proposed UK standard.

On Tuesday, the Department for Business and Trade announced that companies could persist in seeking the EU “CE” label to sell goods in Britain. This move deviates from the previously planned “UKCA” mark requirement, which was set to be enforced from 2025.

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

UK: Bank Bends the Knee to Farage: Cancels Closure of Account in Desperate Bid to End Growing Scandal

In an apparent attempt to quell the political firestorm sweeping through the banking sector over its politically-inspired decision to debank Nigel Farage, Coutts Bank now says it will cancel its closure of the Brexit leader’s accounts.

On Monday evening, Mr Farage revealed that has received a letter from Interim CEO of Coutts, Mohammad Kamal Syed with a peace offering of sorts, saying it would no longer close his personal and business accounts after it was revealed that the bank had closed them down over his political views, friendships with political figures such as Donald Trump, and even his Twitter posts.

Syed was installed following the ousting of Coutts CEO Peter Flavel and former NatWest CEO Dame Alison Rose after Mr Farage’s financial information was leaked to the BBC in a hostile briefing to obscure the politically-motivated debanking.

Mr Farage said that while he appreciated the overture from Coutts, he has no intention of giving up the campaign he has begun against the banking industry, having launched a website to organise those who have also been unjustly debanked to campaign for change in Britain.

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

UK: Labour Snatches Green Victory Out of Tories’ Hands

The Conservative Party’s most significant attempt yet to draw a dividing line between its policies and Labour’s ahead of the next general election has fallen flat in a matter of days.

On Monday, we reported on Rishi Sunak’s announcement that his government would approve 100 new oil and gas licences for companies wishing to operate in the North Sea. Labour opposes new licences. The prime minister made it clear the new extraction was intended to show his party is far less radical on green policies than Labour, which he said “doesn’t realise … people don’t want to risk the lights going out.”

The rhetoric, which comes as Britons prepare to vote in the next general election, might have been effective in creating the impression of a serious difference between Labour and the Tories had Labour not straight away signalled that it would not use an electoral victory to reverse the measure.

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

UK: Tories All Talk, No Game on Fighting Shoplifting

In its latest attempt to appear tough on crime, Rishi Sunak’s government is drawing up plans to throw shoplifters in prison. With a couple of local election losses under its belt and the spectre of a general election defeat looming, the Tories are pulling out all the rhetorical stops to appeal to voters.

After 13 years of Conservative governments, it was revealed earlier this month that police inaction means British criminals effectively have a “licence to shoplift,” putting workers and customers at risk and hurting business profits, and also making the country feel far less safe.

Newspapers this week contain details of government plans to alter this course. Only “prolific” shoplifters will face mandatory jail sentences, according to The Times. Currently, just 14% of police-recorded shoplifting incidents result in charges. This figure excludes the millions of incidents that are not recorded at all.

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

Syrian Bishops Plea for an End to EU Sanctions

Senior figures within the Catholic Church in Syria have called for the termination of EU and Western sanctions against Syria saying that the restrictions have had a disproportionate impact on the country’s Christian community while leaving the ruling Assad regime relatively unscathed.

Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs and other bishops made the request while meeting with the Italian government, including Undersecretary of State Alfredo Mantovano in Rome last week, saying that the restrictions were hampering their humanitarian work in the war-torn nation.

Since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, Syria and the Assad regime have been under crippling sanctions from the EU and United States. No sign of reconciliation between Brussels and Damascus is on the horizon, despite a recent EU-Syria conference hosted by the European Council last month.

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

Elon Musk Shut Down Starlink Access for Ukrainian Drone Attack Plot Against Russian Navy: Report

A Ukrainian plan to target a Russian naval vessel in the Black Sea was reportedly abandoned after Elon Musk denied Starlink satellite internet access to help facilitate the attack.

Amid increasing efforts from Kyiv to bring the war to the “territory of Russia”, with explosive-laden drones hitting Moscow twice since the weekend, Tesla chief Elon Musk has reportedly personally intervened to prevent his Starlink satellite internet technology from being used to aid in long-range drone attacks.

According to a report from the New York Times, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, recently raised concerns over Musk’s influence over the war with Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, after the latest refusal to assist in a long-distance offensive strike against a Russian ship off the coast of Crimea.

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

If Wagner Group Attacks Poland, it Will be Recognized as an Attack by Russia, Warns US Ambassador

Any attack by the Wagner Group against Poland will be treated as an attack by Russian authorities, said U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The ambassador made the comment after Polish journalists asked about the U.S. reaction to the presence of the Wagner Group in Belarus and threats to Poland.

“We have seen their hostile efforts on the African continent, so we certainly fear the activity of this group on behalf of Russian authorities, as they do not operate independently of Russian authorities,” she said. “This is a threat to us all, and we need to ensure that our message is clear: that any attack by the Wagner Group will be recognized as an attack by Russian authorities,” said Thomas-Greenfield.

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No Breakthrough Yet in Ukraine’s Counteroffensive

If Ukraine’s supporters were hoping for a breakthrough after Kyiv’s forces made a new push in the southeast of the country last week, they were sorely disappointed.

The latest attack, which saw Ukraine throw in thousands of Western-trained reinforcements to drive south from the town of Orikhiv, has not yet yielded significant results, U.S. Defense Department officials told NatSec Daily this week, with one noting that the gains are being measured in the hundreds of meters.

Ukraine now has 150,000 troops committed to the operation across three axes of attack, including multiple Western-trained brigades, said one of the DOD officials, who like others interviewed for this newsletter was granted anonymity to discuss operational details. But Kyiv is still keeping a number of forces in reserve, as soldiers continue probing heavily mined Russian defenses for weak spots.

“They are making mostly small, incremental gains” on all three axes, the official said. “They are still facing stiff Russian resistance — second and third layers of defenses.”

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. PATRICK RYDER referred questions about the counteroffensive to the Ukrainian military, but noted that “it has and will continue to be a tough fight for them.”

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Ukrainian Orthodox Church Rejects Zelensky’s Christmas Date Change

The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has announced that it will not follow President Volodymyr Zelensky’s order to celebrate Christmas Day on Dec. 25, in line with Western Christian tradition.

On Friday, Zelensky signed a decree aligning the celebration of one of the most important Christian holidays with the Gregorian calendar. Ukraine has historically celebrated the birth of Christ on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar.

A spokesman for Metropolitan Kliment of the UOC, which has historic ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, told the Strana.ua website on Saturday: “It is absolutely certain that the vast majority of Ukrainians of different religious denominations will celebrate next Christmas in the same way as they have done so far.

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The Big Eco Lie: Solar Panels Produce Five Times More Carbon Dioxide Than Previously Thought, Report Claims

A report sheds light on the fact 80% of the world’s solar panels are manufactured in China, which uses coal in the process — and the nation is on track to hold 95% of the market.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Australia’s Prime Minister Stands Firm Against the US on WikiLeaks Founder’s Prosecution

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday his government stands firm against the United States over the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, an Australian citizen fighting extradition from Britain on U.S. espionage charges.

Albanese’s center-left Labor Party government has been arguing since winning the 2022 elections that the United States should end its pursuit of the 52-year-old, who has spent four years in a London prison fighting extradition.

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

Canadian Restaurant Receipt Charging Diners a ‘Land Tax’ Sparks Fears Over Indigenous Voice to Parliament Referendum

A Canadain restaurant receipt showing a one per cent ‘Indigenous land tax’ charge has raised fears that the Australian government’s Voice to Parliament will adopt a similar charge.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Police ‘Ambush’ Climate Protesters Outside Home of Woodside Boss Meg O’Neill

Four climate protesters were charged in Perth on Tuesday for targeting the home of Woodside boss Meg O’Neill, with an ABC film crew documenting the incident.

Lawyer Zarah Burgess, who represents activist group Disrupt Burrup Hub, said two members caught at the City Beach house had been charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and had their bail refused.

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

Unliveable West Ryde House Sells for Almost $2 Million as Sale Shocks North-West Sydney Residents and Real Estate Agent

A scrappy home barely in a livable state has gone on to fetch almost $2 million at a sale after it was snared in a private deal. The home in Sydney’s north-west went on the market for the first time.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Why House Prices Keep on Rising in Sydney — Despite 12 Interest Rates Since May Last Year

House prices have risen in Sydney for the sixth straight month despite an interest rate surge. Here’s what’s pushing up values.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

France Evacuating EU Citizens From Coup-Hit Niger, Escalation Looms

European countries are initiating emergency evacuation plans for the their citizens currently in Niger, following last Friday’s coup events which saw the country’s military leadership declare President Mohamed Bazoum removed from power, overthrown by his own presidential guard.

“France is preparing the evacuation of its citizens and (other) European citizens who want to leave the country,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement, noting it will begin immediately. At least three other European countries have followed suit.

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

Afghan Migrants Stab Each Other During Brawl Near EU Parliament

Multiple Afghan migrants were stabbed during a fight just minutes from European Parliament in France over the weekend, according to reports.

The disturbing incident unfolded just after 7 p.m. on Saturday in Strasbourg, a city on the German border in the region of Alsace.

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

Dutch Asylum Applications Continue to Soar Ahead of Upcoming Elections

The Netherlands has continued to experience a rise in asylum applications throughout the second quarter of the year, exacerbating an issue that recently led to the fall of the country’s government and its Prime Minister Mark Rutte stepping back from frontline politics.

>From April through June, another 8,000 asylum seekers submitted their first application for asylum in the country, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS) — a 15 percent increase over the previous quarter and also significantly higher than for the same period last year.

The 2022 figure was already 44 higher than the previous year and a record for the years following the migrant crisis of 2015.

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

Germany: New 128-Apartment Social Housing Complex Exclusively Reserved for Asylum Seekers in Berlin

A Berlin housing association is scheduled to complete its latest block of social housing apartment buildings in the German capital next spring, but they are currently reserved exclusively for use by asylum seekers, it has emerged.

The 128-apartment complex on Askanierring in the Spandau borough is expected to be opened by the Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Berlin-Mitte (WBM) housing association in May 2024, but will first serve around 570 refugees expected to move in indefinitely before it is available for Berliners currently on the social housing waiting list.

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

Germany: 2nd Migrant Arrested for Gang Rape in Berlin’s Görlitzer Park After Police Hid Details of the Case for a Month

A second arrest has been made in connection with the now infamous gang rape in Görlitzer Park in Berlin’s multicultural Kreuzberg neighborhood on Sunday evening.

The case has drawn widespread attention due to police keeping the incident out of the news despite the perpetrators being on the loose since June 21. Welt newspaper finally revealed that a woman was raped nearly a month after the incident, with critics saying the police hid the case because the perpetrators were believed to be foreigners, a fact that now can be confirmed; one of the suspects, arrested Thursday, is from Somalia, and now a second arrest has been made of a 22-year-old man from Guinea-Bissau.

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

Migrant Smugglers Advertise on TikTok for Journey Into Poland

Migrant smuggler gangs are looking for clients via social media to transport them across the Polish-Belarusian border, with a surge in their activities recently observed on TikTok. Videos are being shared of people equipped with metal-cutting tools attempting to breach the barrier at the Polish-Belarusian border.

These recordings are now serving as a form of advertising for potential illegal migrants. They aim to encourage more people from all over the world to travel through Belarus and Poland to Germany.

Since the beginning of the wave of illegal migration supported by Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime, such “services” are particularly promoted on Arabic-speaking profiles.

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

NYC’s Roosevelt Hotel Becomes Epicenter of City’s 60,000-Strong Refugee Crisis in Shocking Scenes From Manhattan

Hundreds of migrants have been sleeping outside of Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel for a second day in a row — as NYC Mayor Eric Adams said the crisis is ‘not over.’

Swathes of asylum seekers, hailing from a number of South American and African countries, lined the streets sleeping on cardboard overnight because the migrant hotel has reached capacity.

‘I want a better life,’ one migrant told DailyMail.com from the queue outside the chaotic migrant epicenter on Tuesday morning.

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

Serbia: Locals Live in Fear Amid Massive Migrant Gun Battles Near Hungarian Border

Migrant smuggling gangs are doing battle with the police and each other, leaving at least one dead and locals sleeping on their floors to reduce the chance of catching a stray bullet in bed.

The village of Hajdukovo/Hajdújaras, a small farming community in the north of Serbia on the Hungarian border has been described as a terrifying warzone this past week as what are reported to be migrant smuggler gangs face off in hours-long gun battles, with household security footage audio attesting to the persistent sound of automatic gunfire. A significant police deployment is now underway but residents told local authorities at a community meeting Friday that if that wasn’t enough, then the army must be deployed.

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

Sweden to Tighten Borders Amid Quran Protests

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Tuesday announced that Sweden will introduce a new law, expected to be approved Thursday, that will give police expanded powers to conduct identity checks as well as vehicle and body searches at Sweden’s borders.

Electronic border surveillance is also to be expanded.

The measure, said Kristersson, is intended to prevent, “people with very weak connections to Sweden” from entering the country, “to commit crimes or to act in conflict with Swedish security interests.”

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UK: More Than Fifty Migrants Crammed Into Each Boat Crossing the Channel in July: Average Number of People on Each Vessel Reaches Record High, Figures Show

The average number of migrants crossing the Channel per boat last month was the highest on record, figures show.

Some 3,299 people made the journey in July in 63 boats — an average of around 52 migrants per vessel.

This is the highest average since records began in 2018, according to PA analysis of Government data.

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California School Board President Speaks Out After Receiving ‘Death Threats’ for Supporting Parents: ‘Evil’

California Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) school board President Sonja Shaw told Fox News that she has continued to receive death threats against her and her family after she opposed transgender ideology in the classroom.

Shaw said she “never imagined” a “simple notification policy would end up going viral all over the nation.” The support, as well as the hate she has received since then, she said, has been overwhelming.

“I had people reach out to me from almost every state in the USA, just giving me support, encouragement, wanting to even purchase security items for my home. But on the opposite end, you know, I got some heat, too. There is a lot of name-calling, nasty things I would never wish upon anybody — and then, of course, the death threats on me and my family and my animals.”

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

Coors Light, Miller Light Combined Sales Now ‘50% Bigger Than Bud Light’: Molson Coors CEO

Molson Coors beers like Coors Light and Miller Lite are devouring Bud Light’s market share amid ongoing fallout from the Dylan Mulvaney marketing campaign.

On Tuesday, Molson Coors reported an 11.8% surge in net sales over the second quarter and a 5% jump in financial volumes, with U.S. increases reflecting a shift in consumer purchasing behavior.

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

New Boycott as UK Coffee Giant Celebrates Women Having Breasts Removed

The UK’s biggest Coffee chain Costa is facing massive backlash and a new boycott after it used an animated image featuring a figure with mastectomy scars to celebrate “inclusivity and diversity”.

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

Oklahoma Gov. Signs ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ Into Law to Protect Girls From ‘Out of Control Gender Ideology’

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, R., signed the “Women’s Bill of Rights” into law Tuesday in a move blasted by some critics as “sexist” and “transphobic.”

Joining “The Faulkner Focus” shortly after, Stitt sat beside former NCAA athlete Riley Gaines to discuss how the executive order will solidify distinctions between men and women based on sex and identify spaces in which they are to be kept separate, including locker rooms, restrooms, rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and prisons, among others.

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Richard Dawkins Slams Transgender ‘Distortion of Reality’: ‘Sex Really is Binary’

Transgender ideology amounts to a “distortion of reality,” noted atheist and biologist Richard Dawkins commented on his podcast “The Poetry of Reality.”

Dawkins discussed the topic with “Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality” author Helen Joyce on Saturday’s episode where he reiterated that sex is a “binary” concept.

“Sex really is binary. You’re either male or female, and it’s absolutely clear you can do it on gamete size. You can do it on chromosomes. To me, as a biologist, it’s distinctly weird people can simply declare ‘I am a woman though I have a penis,’“ Dawkins insisted.

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The Indoctrination of America’s Boys is Not Working…

Major media outlets, including The Washington Post and numerous left-slanted ones, have published articles to persuade the public that the up-and-coming generation holds more socially and politically progressive attitudes. However, a new respected federal survey of American youth shows otherwise.

The Hill cites a new survey from Monitoring the Future that shows an explosion of high school seniors that identify as male and say they’re “conservative” or “very conservative.” Data from the survey extends back more than a half-century to the mid-1970s. The eruption happened during President Trump’s first term. Meanwhile, male respondents who identified as “liberals” plunged to 13%.

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5 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/1/2023

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    Millions of migrants want to come to Sweden, of course
    It is not surprising that people want to come to Sweden from their home countries. As long as things are better here than there, migrating here will be an option for many people.

    MAGNUS SÖDERMAN
    JUNE 7, 2023

    The big news in the alternative media that I woke up to, told me that “ten million welfare migrants” want to come to Sweden. The news originally came from SVT and it is based on a studio from Gallup World Poll. This time they interviewed people from 160 countries in the world and asked them where in the world they would like to go.

    Ten million of them say Sweden. Ten million, basically a doubling of the population. Can we even imagine a Sweden after this migration? This only applies to Sweden. If we then look at the general population figures produced by the UN, which go up to 2050, those 10 million could be considerably more.

    In the UN’s 2015 Revision of World Populations Prospects report, the picture is clear:
    Between 2015 and 2050, 28 African countries are expected to double their population.
    – Somalia is expected to go from 10.7 million (2015) to 27 million (2050) and in the longer term to 58.3 million inhabitants (2100).
    – Afghanistan is projected to grow from 32.5 million (2015) to 55.9 million (2050).
    – The population growth of white, Western countries is projected to be driven by immigration and the higher birth rate of immigrants.

    Perhaps you pour the coffee down the wrong throat now, as you should have done. Once you’ve sorted that out, consider that Sweden “only” ranks 21st out of all the “rich” countries (and sixth out of the EU countries). And given that we are closely linked to other European countries (the open borders, for example), it’s a bit of a toss-up as to where the fortune seekers from the third world will end up.

    Of course, future migration is hypothetical. And many of the respondents do not have the means to get here, but it is an indication of what is happening. In particular, the UN report shows that there will be a large pool of people from which to draw future migrants.

    Things are already bad and what’s coming is nothing more than migrations. The gutters became rivers and now tsunamis are next. I dare to take poison on this (as long as nothing revolutionary happens in Sweden and Europe within one or two years).

    I once wrote somewhere that as long as Sweden, or Europe or other countries, offer something that is slightly better than the situation in Somalia or any other place, there is a pull effect for migration. Of course, most people will remain in their home countries, but of Somalia’s 58.3 million people in 2100, there are probably quite a few who will pack their bags and head north. If you can get just a little bit better than the miserable situation you’re in, it’s worth the chance. If only for the youngest son who is strong enough to elbow his way through.

    To be honest, ten million is an understatement.
    What could prevent these masses of people from heading for Europe and Sweden? I believe that asking them to stay at home, for our sake, is ineffective. Helping on the ground feels human and decent, but it has to be combined with the ability to be “inhuman” at home. The West can say: “okay, we support you in every way, but we will also sink migrant boats in the Mediterranean and beat back all attempts at border crossings with brute force. In addition, we will throw out anyone who crosses the border and is found in Europe” and then do it. After a few shows of this, the river will become a trickle and soon enough dry up.

    Another option is that Europe will be worse than Somalia. When we get there, every drag effect is destroyed and the return migration begins. The Swedes will then be left to think about how to rebuild their plundered and ravaged country. Given that a developing country population cannot maintain a developed country, we will naturally end up there eventually, whether we like it or not.

    I don’t know how it will end or which of the options is most likely. But I do know that the more of us who know the different end points, the more of us will be prepared for all the different eventualities. That will prove to be crucial to the outcome.

    source:
    https://www.sveating.se/p/miljoner-migranter-vill-till-sverige

  2. Their are over 30 different forms of the Koran , just like some ice cream parlors have 30 different flavors of ice cream .The only difference is every Koran leaves a bad evil taste in the month and a poison to the brain or and soul if consumed and followed as a way to live your life .If you public burn any other book you legal own no one would care. Many Moslem burn all kinds of things in western countries that they do not own cars ,public buildings, private homes, the elite in the west seem to care more about a badly written book then the freedom of non-Moslems .

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