Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/28/2018

A man named Jarrod Ramos entered the offices of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland and opened fire with a gun. He killed five people and gravely wounded an unspecified number of others. Mr. Jarrod allegedly held a grudge against the paper because it had reported on a criminal conviction against him.

In other news, the “Bucks County Bomber” has been caught. Federal and local authorities took a man named David Surman Jr. into custody on suspicion of preparing and detonating the explosives that have terrorized the Pennsylvania county for weeks. Mr. Surman allegedly held a grudge against the zoning authority.

Also, read the articles on Matteo Salvini, the Italian government, and the emergency EU migration summit. There are too many to summarize here.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Charles Low, Dean, Dora, DV, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, Seneca III, 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. We 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.

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/27/2018

The Italian government is prepared to block any results of this week’s EU migration summit if a declaration of shared responsibility for sea rescues is not included. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini derided French President Emmanuel Macron in a CNN interview, saying that Mr. Macron had no lessons to give Italy. Mr. Salvini also predicted that the next year will determine whether the EU will continue to exist in its present form.

In other Italian news, according to a recent poll, support for the relaxation of gun controls has risen to 39% among the Italian people.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Charles Low, Insubria, JD, 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. We 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.

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An Unauthorized Tour of Paristan

The following cell-phone video was recorded by a French mother driving her kids to school. With undisguised disgust she narrates the cultural enrichment of her neighborhood, with its mosque, hijabs, and an imam.

This footage was originally posted on YouTube, then later removed, presumably for violating YouTube’s “community standards” — which, like “community cohesion” in Britain, is codespeak for “slavish submission to sharia.”

Many thanks to Ava Lon for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

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Eyeball Update

I went to the retinologist this afternoon for my monthly examination, and received another injection in my left eye (for wet macular degeneration). Everything went as expected.

I’m a little bit worse for the wear and tear, so posting will be somewhat light this evening.

I’m also cheerful and filled with gratitude, because just fifteen years ago there was no way to treat wet macular degeneration. By this point I would have been well on my way to blindness. A needle in the eye every now and again seems a negligible price to pay in the larger scheme of things.

Turks Celebrating Erdogan’s Victory Get Rowdy in Rotterdam

The following article gains additional significance alongside two stories in the just-posted news feed. One reported that the Turks in the Netherlands celebrating the re-election victor of President Erdogan exulted that they were the boss, that the Netherlands is now part of Turkey. The other described an apparent terrorist attack against the offices of De Telegraaf — the same newspaper that published the story below.

Many thanks to FouseSquawk for the translation:

70 Fines for Rotterdam Turks who celebrated Erdogan’s win

Rotterdam — Seventy fines were given out Sunday evening to Turkish Rotterdammers because they caused a nuisance. That is what Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told RTV Rijmond.

The Turks have been fined for blowing horns, illegal parking and blocking traffic. They took to the streets on Sunday evening to celebrate the victory of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish presidential election.

In order to involve the Turks more in Rotterdam, Aboutaleb wants to sit around the table with them. “I am ready to talk to everyone, but I cannot do that on my own. That also requires the other side.”

Win celebrated en masse

On Sunday, Erdogan’s victory was also celebrated en masse in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Zaandam and Deventer, among others, while reports from celebrating Turks also came in from other cities.

Approximately a quarter of a million Turkish Dutch citizens were able to vote in the Netherlands. Over 70 percent are believed to have voted for Erdogan.

Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/26/2018

A man deliberately drove a van into the building of the offices of De Telegraaf in Amsterdam before exploding it. After his second attempt to ram the building, the driver got out and detonated some sort of explosive in the back of the van before fleeing on foot. No suspects have been arrested.

In other news, the mayor of Toronto sent a letter to the Canadian federal government saying that his city’s resources could no longer handle the rapid influx of migrants.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Caroline Glick, Charles Low, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, Red Mike, SS, Steen, 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. We 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.

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From Szczecin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, a Razor-Wire Curtain Has Descended…

Immigration-related events are moving rapidly this in Europe summer. The situation is in such flux that now would be a good time to step back and try to get an overview of the process.

Three years ago the dead baby hysteria, followed by Chancellor Merkel’s invitation to the world (“Y’all come in and set a spell, bitte!”), launched the Great European Migration Crisis. Since then I’ve read hundreds of news articles and analyses about the flow of “refugees” and the reactions to their violent and fragrant arrival in Western Europe.

After digesting all that information I created the following map, which presents my subjective evaluation of the different approaches to migration by various European countries. I’ve rated the policies of 28 different countries (the EU 27 minus Croatia, plus Switzerland) on a scale from 0 to 100, from zero (red) for the open-borders attitude of the “Welcoming Culture” to 100 (blue) for the absolute refusal of mass migration by the Visegrád Four (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic). Data from the last six months weighs more heavily in the score assigned to each country — for example, Spain and Italy recently changed governments, which has strongly affected each country’s migration policy.


Immigration policies in Europe, Summer 2018 (Click to enlarge)

The grouping of countries based on their stance on migration bears a striking resemblance to the division of Europe into East and West by the Iron Curtain. This is especially true if we roll the clock back three months — back then Italy and Bavaria would have been quite red. And the analogy becomes even more apt if we remember that Austria was occupied by Soviet troops until 1955, which gives it one foot in the Eastern camp.

The biggest change in the past three months has been the formation of a new anti-immigration government in Italy. The “xenophobia” of the East Bloc has now broken through the razor-wire curtain and gained a foothold in Western Europe. No wonder EU politics is in such turmoil! After failing to contain the “anti-European” attitudes of Poland and Hungary, Brussels now has to contend with Matteo Salvini. Italy is one of the “big four” pillars of the European Union, so its defection to the anti-migration side carries enormous significance for continental politics.

The situation is metamorphosing rapidly, but before we analyze the process of change — the “delta”, as they say in the military-industrial complex — let’s go over the snapshot of current European migration policies.

The Visegrád Four

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the first major European political leader to (1) understand the larger significance of the refugee crisis of 2015, and (2) act rapidly to counteract the nexus of globalist actions that threatened the stability of the Hungarian state. In doing so he made himself an obstacle to the no-borders coalition, especially the “American philanthropist” George Soros. The reaction to Mr. Orbán’s building of the fence helped clarify the East-West divide, and strengthened the solidarity of the Visegrád Four. Each country now supports the others’ positions, and each vows to veto any action by the EU (the European Commission requires consensus to implement a sanctions regime) that would harm the other members. Taken individually, each V4 country is no match for Germany or France, but when they act in concert the four countries become a formidable thorn in the flesh of the Brussels oligarchy.

The movement of Italy and Austria (and even Bavaria) towards the Visegrád Four position allows Hungary to — as Barack Obama has so frequently said — punch above its weight.

Austria

The most recent Austrian election resulted in a coalition government headed by Sebastian “Boy” Kurz (ÖVP) as chancellor and Heinz-Christian Strache (FPÖ) as vice chancellor. Mr. Kurz may well be a cynical opportunist who has simply trimmed his sails to the wind, all the while remaining loyal to his mentors in the Davos crowd. However, to maintain his position he has to give at least the appearance of acting decisively to deal with the migration issue — hence the recent law targeting “radicalization” in Austrian mosques (see Christian Zeitz’ analysis). Part of that appearance will of necessity include the reduction of violence and disorder brought to Austria by Muslim immigrants. Any failure to achieve discernible results will endanger his chancellorship. For that reason one may expect him to stay the course, at least for the time being.

Mr. Kurz’ alignment with Italy, Hungary, and Bavaria bodes ill for Chancellor Angela Merkel and the mandarins in Brussels. A counterweight to their power is forming on their southeastern flank, and the resulting political crisis looks to be the most turbulent since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the reunification of Germany.

Italy

The new coalition government in Italy is shaking the very foundations of Barad-dûr in Brussels. The Five-Star Movement is more or less a traditional populist party, but the Lega Nord is full-on anti-immigration. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has hit his stride early, turning back the refugee ferries and threatening to impound any NGO “rescue” vessels that make port in Italy. Unlike Chancellor Kurz, Mr. Salvini has never changed his tune — almost ten years ago, when I first started paying attention to him, he was the same anti-migrant firebrand that he is today. He shows no sign of being cowed by threats from Brussels; it’s no wonder that emergency summits are being hastily convened in reaction to him.

Since the new government was formed, the Lega has shot ahead of the Five-Star Movement to become the most popular party in Italy. If another election were to be held, Matteo Salvini would most likely end up as prime minister.

Eastern Europe

When I use the term “Eastern Europe”, I refer to the Baltic republics, Romania, and Bulgaria. (The Visegrád Four plus Austria comprise Central Europe. Strictly speaking, Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus could also be considered Eastern Europe, but their political affairs are more closely associated with Russia, whether for or against, so I’m leaving them out of this analysis.)

Eastern Europe has the good fortune not to be attractive as a final destination for migrants — their welfare benefits are much less generous than those further west, and they are less reticent about dealing harshly with the criminal proclivities of foreigners. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have the added advantage of being largely off the route for most of the migration flowing into Western Europe.

Bulgaria and Romania have their share of migrant camps, full of angry, resentful Third-World “refugees” who are impatient to get out of those Black Sea backwaters and into the promised land of Germany or Sweden. The crime and disease the migrants bring with them spills out of the camps and into the adjacent towns. News outlets in those countries are blessedly un-PC, so the word gets out, and members of the general public who may once have been indifferent are now becoming anti-immigrant.

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/25/2018

A 77-year-old man at a high-rise senior living facility in Long Beach, California caused some sort of explosion in the building that started a fire. When firemen arrived, he shot two of them, killing one of them, and also critically wounded an elderly fellow resident. He was arrested, and is being held in jail on $2 million bond.

In other news, EU foreign minister Federica Mogherini is calling for member states to put more money into a rescue-Africa trust fund. Meanwhile, the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee voted to punish Hungary for its migration policies.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Dean, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, Seneca III, Srdja Trifkovic, SS, Vlad Tepes, 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. We 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.

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Need to Get Consent From Her For Sex? There’s an App For That — In Sweden

At first glance this story would seem to be a spoof or an April Fools’ joke, but it’s not — Sweden really will implement this new law next week.

Many thanks to K. From Germany for translating this article Fria Tider.

Sex Law to Apply From Next Week on: Consent App Launched

June 24, 2018

From next Sunday on, the new consent law will apply, and then all intercourse will be forbidden in Sweden — voluntary or forced — which is not preceded by express agreement of consent. The app ‘Libra’ is being launched now, which will make it easier for women to issue their express consent.

According to Aftonbladet, the app makes use of bank-ID technology[1] to secure consent before intercourse, which can lower the risk of getting convicted for rape after having had voluntary sex. This risk predominantly threatens men who engage in sexual activities from next week onwards, when the controversial Swedish consent law begins to apply.

The app is being launched by the female lawyer Baharak Vaziri, who states on her website that she works as a plaintiff’s attorney[2] and defence attorney.

On the app’s homepage, the company behind it writes that the new legislation can imply great difficulties in proving consent between two parties who want to engage in intercourse.

“The app is designed to facilitate and strengthen [the concept] that persons who are about to enter a sexual connection shall do so voluntarily and consensually”, it says, inter alia, in the description in the App Store.

In an article in Aftonbladet, the reporter Miriam Bratt speculates that the app might make it more difficult for women to “change their mind” in the middle of intercourse and subsequently assert claim of criminal liability for rape. But the attorney disagrees with this criticism.

“This app is not meant for cases of sexual assault or in which women are in an exposed situation. This is only for those cases where things are unclear in some way, and such cases occur quite often,” says Baharak Vaziri to Aftonbladet.

However, one can never be entirely sure of not committing rape. This is because the law demands that consent be obtained “before each new moment” during the sex act, and it is dubious whether one can avoid criminal liability by obtaining consent for all moments beforehand, which is the idea behind the app.

“Witch hunt” against Swedish men

The new sex law has received harsh criticism in other countries, but completely evaded debate in Sweden’s so-called established media. Germany’s biggest daily newspaper Die Welt stated recently “Sweden Drives Sexual Correctness to the Extreme”.

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Emmanuel Macron Speaks From the Leprosarium Formerly Known as Europe

Last week, in a speech much derided by the Italians, French President Emmanuel “Toy Boy” Macron one-upped Hillary Clinton by referring to his political opponents as the “leprosy” of European politics.

Many thanks to Ava Lon for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

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A Saracen Pours Boiling Oil on an Infidel — But Not From the Ramparts

The following report by Egri Nök was published earlier at Vlad Tepes in a slightly different form.

Kassel, Germany: Syrian “Refugee” Throws Boiling Oil Into Janitor’s Face

by Egri Nök

An original translation from the Hessian news portal Extratipp:

Incident in Kassel, Hesse

Horror! 30-Year Old Asylum Seeker from Syria Throws Boiling Oil Into Janitor’s Face

June 25, 2018

Kassel — A 30-year old asylum seeker from Syria threw boiling oil into his janitor’s face on Friday around 3pm (CET) in Erzberger Straße. The janitor suffered severe burns on his face, upper body and arms. The 30-year-old immediately had to be taken to a special clinic in Hannover. Police Spokesman Torsten Werner confirmed this to extratipp.com on Monday before noon.

The incident happened in the Kassel district Nordstadt in an apartment building. At the request of the Kassel District Attorney, the 30-year-old was taken to the committing magistrate at the Kassel district court, who ordered that he be remanded, on Saturday.

Background: The two officers, who were lightly wounded, were investigating arson in the apartment building. There had been problems in the previous week: an unknown person had set a newspaper on fire in the building’s hallway, and later, a paper notice. When, on Friday, another paper notice was burned, the officers of office 11 for arson began an investigation in the apartment building.

The 30-year-old Syrian said he had only limited command of the German language. Therefore the officers asked him to come along with them to the precinct, where an interpreter would have translated his statements. The asylum seeker turned around, took a pot filled with oil from the stove, and threw it onto the officers and the janitor. While the janitor was hit by the largest portion of the hot oil, the officers overpowered and arrested the 30-year-old.

The arrested asylum seeker will have to answer charges of suspected severe arson and severe assault.

[Photo caption (not shown): The assault took place in this apartment building in Erzberger Straße in Kassel. A man threw boiling oil into the face of the janitor who is responsible for the building. The latter was wounded gravely.]

Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/24/2018

French President Emmanuel “Toy Boy” Macron referred to the resurgence of nationalist sentiment in Europe as “populist leprosy”, in a specific reference to the new Italian government. In response, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini described Mr. Macron as “a polite young man who drinks too much champagne”, and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio said that the real leprosy is European hypocrisy. Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conti said that the EU needs to rip up its existing migrant system.

In other news, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Italy of being “anti-European”.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, 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. We 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.

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Bombshell in Ramadan

The following analysis of the new anti-“radicalism” law in Austria was written by the Austrian scholar Christian Zeitz, and has been kindly translated by JLH. Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff supplies an introduction to provide the current political context.

Introduction

by Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
Vice President of Wiener Akademikerbund

There was an uproar of excitement when a few weeks ago, on a Friday, only “hours away from Iftar, the breaking of the fast”: the Austrian government introduced measures to curb the influence of “political Islam” in Austria. While the measures to shut down “extremist” mosques sounded like a long-awaited solution to the proliferation of Islamization of Austria were lauded by many both domestically and worldwide, there were those voices who knew right away that nothing would come of this announcement. They were, as always, brushed off, but, as always, their analysis proved not only sound, but also true. To this day, not one mosque has been closed and, as far as is known, not one imam has left the country.

This situation is unfortunate, but unsurprising. All of this was predicted by Christian Zeitz back in 2015, when the Islam Law was debated in parliament. And it is most unfortunate when members of parliament go on television and say that this law was passed in good faith, which is patently untrue and is documented as such (here at Gates of Vienna).

One would hope that now, in view of the obvious failure of the Islam Law, lawmakers would approach the one expert available to provide ideas to fix this botched law. This hope is in vain. No one has thus far approached Christian Zeitz, the one man who has always maintained that there are solutions available. Alas, Zeitz has been shunned. To the detriment of the Austrian population.

The following analysis is likely the last on the topic of Islam Law. There is nothing more to add until the politicians wake up and fix a law that was broken to begin with, instead of continuing on a path of destruction. The question is: are the politicians willing to admit their mistake?

Bombshell in Ramadan

Why the PR-effective measures announced by the government will only function in part, and why the Islam Law must therefore be reformed immediately.

by Christian Zeitz

Whatever else happens, June 8, 2018 will enter the political history of the Republic of Austria. At an unusual hour — 8:00 a.m. — the government presented a package of measures and intentions intended to halt abuses and subversive activities which have become established in parts of the Islamic community. With statements from Chancellor Kurz, Vice Chancellor Strache, Chancellery Minister (ergo Cultural Affairs Minister) Blümel, as well as Interior Minister Kickl, this intention was presented with a display of personal presence and determination unequaled in the Second Republic. Publicly making the theme “State and Islam” an inter-ministerial causa prima is noteworthy and deserves great approbation. The enormous resonance in the media (from the tiny Austrian town of Perchtoldsdorf to Washington) justifies the government in its public act just as does the agreement of the ordinarily carping opposition parties. Both of these things signal especially that by far the greatest portion of the Austrian population is finally fed up with the appeasement, indeed circumventive lying, about certain conditions and events inside the Islamic community, and is no longer willing to accept the obviously increasing threats to public security, the rule of law and everyday culture.

The representations of government members, taken separately, were doubtlessly heading in the right direction. Kurz: “The idea of the Islam Law (2015) was to prevent foreign political influence by abolishing foreign financing (of Islamic Communities).” Strache: “It is about opposing radical political Islam. Hate preaching and the abuse of religious instruction for the purposes of indoctrination must be stopped.” Blümel: “Illegal mosque enterprises must be banned and, if necessary, closed. The Department of Cultural Affairs must check the conformance to the law of these institutions.” Kickl: “ATIB (Turkish-Islamic Union for Cultural and Social Cooperation in Austria) is breaking the law. Imams are being financed from outside the country. Various activities in the associations can be classified by the government as politically radical.”

The government has announced the following steps as immediately in prospect or already in process:

1.   Closing of a mosque in the10th district in Vienna, where the “Wolf Salute” is used, representing the ideology of the Grey Wolves. The mosque is illegal. Even the IGGiÖ (Islamic Faith Community in Austria) reported this mosque to the competent authorities.
2.   Dissolution of the “Arabic Cultural Community,” which had a “Salafist background” and would therefore represent political Islam. A decision from the Department of Cultural Affairs for dissolution is imminent.
3.   Repeal of current legal status of (ATIB-) imams, and/or refusal of restructuring and/or extension, because they are financed from abroad, which would be contrary to the ban on foreign finance. There are eleven present cases, altogether ca. forty.
4.   The Department of Cultural Affairs is charged with supervision of mosque establishments with regard to possible further instances of foreign financing (considering any possible evasive arrangements), as well with inspecting activities which could violate the principles of the “basic alignment of state and society in Austria.” Among these are certain activities in youth work (“war reenactments in kindergarten”).
5.   The investigations may result in further closings of mosques and other facilities.
 

At first glance, the measures appear convincing and sensible. Hardly anyone in Austria would not want them to be successful. The question is whether and to what extent their execution is realistic. This depends primarily on the foundation for legal action the authorities authorize. In this connection, the ministers named or referenced the following laws to the following responsible authorities:

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/23/2018

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini denied entry to an NGO migrant ship, which has also been refused by Malta. In addition, the Italian government promised to impound two other NGO “rescue” vessels if they landed in Italy. Mr. Salvini told French President Macron that France risked becoming Italy’s #1 enemy on the migration issue.

In other migration news, more than 400 migrants were rescued off the coast of Spain and brought to safety.

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

Thanks to Charles Low, Dean, DV, JD, LP, Reader from Chicago, 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. We 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.

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