Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.
This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.
So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.
This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.
Beijing is lashing out at Canada for expressing concern over the arrest of key leaders in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, saying what Ottawa did “constitutes gross interference in China’s internal affairs.”
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa in a statement this week accused Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne of making what it called “irresponsible remarks” over the arrests.
“We urge the Canadian side to abide by the basic norms governing international relations, support the Hong Kong police in enforcing the law, and immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs in any form,” the embassy said.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-china-lashes-out-at-canada-for-expressing-concern-over-hong-kong/
American quandary: How to secure weapons-grade minerals without China
Ernest Scheyder
10 Min Read
MOUNTAIN PASS, Calif. (Reuters) – The United States wants to curb its reliance on China for specialized minerals used to make weapons and high-tech equipment, but it faces a Catch-22.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-rareearths-insight/american-quandary-how-to-secure-weapons-grade-minerals-without-china-idUSKCN2241KF
2 Videos: “DEVASTATING! Renowned French Dr. Didier Raoult DESTROYS Liberal Trump-Hating Media on VA Junk Report on Hydroxychloroquine (VIDEO)”
by Jim Hoft – April 22, 2020
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/devastating-renowned-french-dr-didier-raoult-destroys-liberal-trump-hating-media-va-junk-report-hydroxychloroquine-video/
Video #2 “French Dr. Didier Raoult DESTROYS Liberal Media and VA Junk Report on Hydroxychloroquine Treatment” James Hoft – April 22, 2020
Ingraham: The truth about hydroxychloroquine
( 8 min 59 )
A new study released on hydroxychloroquine for use on COVID-19 patients is shockingly irresponsible and, as top virologists are saying, perhaps even agenda-driven.
“Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus nursing home policy proves tragic: Goodwin”
by Michael Goodwin – April 21, 2020
https://nypost.com/2020/04/21/cuomo-coronavirus-nursing-home-policy-proves-tragic-goodwin/
He put people with the Wuhan Flu in Nursing Homes!! That should be a crime, not that a Cuomo will ever be prosecuted in New York Sate.
That’s what’s happened here in Massachusetts, that’s part of what drove our case fatality rate so high.
Hong Zhang, PhD
@hz_udhr
Yes, the nursing home situation needs to be investigated urgently by competent journalists, and more importantly, by CDC to help reduce the devastating killing spree by the virus.
The deaths from the LTC facilities in MA are 54% of all cases. Stunning.
https://twitter.com/hz_udhr/status/1252959663248814080
Germany: 19-year-old girl gang raped by three Afghans
The Wiesbaden public prosecutor’s office and the Wiesbaden Criminal Investigation Department are currently investigating three Afghan refugees aged 19 and 23 years on suspicion of rape. All three are suspected of having raped a 19-year-old woman at a construction site in the area of Moritz-Hilf-Street in Wiesbaden on the evening of the 7th of April 2020. Arrest warrants have now been issued for all three suspects.
After the crime, the victim revealed herself to a confidante who, together with her, informed the police on the 11th of April 2020. According to this information, one of the two 19-year-olds is the victim’s former boyfriend, with whom she had an appointment on the evening of the crime and whom she then also met. At this meeting, the accused was accompanied by two family members who had come from Berlin to visit Wiesbaden. It was during this meeting that the sexual assaults occurred.
After a report on the incident as well as initial investigations and securing of evidence, the 19-year-old former friend of the victim was arrested at his place of work in Idstein on the 13th of April 2020 and taken into custody after being brought before a judge. This was followed by extensive criminal investigations in Wiesbaden and Berlin, which finally led to the arrest of the other two suspects in Berlin. These two men, aged 19 and 23, are now also in custody. The criminal investigations in the proceedings are still ongoing.
https://medforth.blog/2020/04/23/germany-19-year-old-girl-gang-raped-by-three-afghans/
The war against individual liberty has found a new gear. The CCP WMD has given a fantastic new opportunity for governments to pursue next-level dialogues on the elimination of cash. While we know this has been going on for a while, stigmatizing cash as a disease spreader, despite the virus’s ability to live on any touchable surface for variable timelines, has jumped to the fore. The use of cash has plummeted. Contagion has now joined terrorism and money laundering as the new statist chimera against our basic medium of exchange. It’s a big subject and a big question and its repercussions are profound. It ain’t easy being a greenback.
Of course, so intrinsic to fundamental individual autonomy is cash that the idea of relinquishing its form to globalist ideals is predictably perilous, to say the least. Imagine the CCP WMD dissipating in six weeks only to find you’re under another kind of lock-down whereby your every movement is tracked by your digital expenditure bread crumbs. Because this is coming. Personally, I’d rather simplify the pursuit of terrorists and money launderers with a very efficient death penalty than depriving me of my autonomy. This would be more effective, and honest, than inventing a digital leg iron that suspects and even criminalizes the masses for the excuse of catching a few scum bags. Besides, there’s a strong argument to be made that in places like Dystopia, Germany, France, Holland, Sweden, Belgium and many other countries, that the scum bags are already in charge. We could even say that personal freedom is the furthest thing from their minds if only they didn’t tip their collective hand by doing everything they possibly could to squash it. No, the digitization of the private citizen is their first priority, for sure, be it through mandatory vaccines or a new money paradigm. Meanwhile, some terrorists are given $10-million, others are given paid shelter under the guise of war-torn migration, the CCP is subsidized by western governments, Islam gets every pass available, and if I want to check on my own property in another province I must either lie to the police roadblock or wait for this lock down to lift. Digitize me? Go fuck yourself.
When one looks at how the CCP WMD has been handled by governments, and how discussions about cash teeter on digital currency’s ability to provide population surveillance, one must also ask why, if our leaders’ sweet words were ever sincere, do they never speak of current events in terms of basic individual freedom? I mean, we see so many examples of power grabs and the disregard for constitutions that it’s hard to keep up. This should be the basis of anyone’s freedom index. Who keeps their eye on freedom’s ball? Which leaders keep free society as their unwavering standard?
https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/should-governments-restrict-cash
As far as cash’s reincarnation goes, the big brains of supranational debt slavery are hard at work trying to figure it all out. The common refrain and denominator to all options is which new form best maintains control over individual behavior. This should tell us everything about the neo-Marxist motivations of these masters of the universe. They all seem to come from the Keynesian School, of course. And until discussions of any next-level digital currency concentrate on how to keep people free, rather than keep them accountable, and how to back it with gold and silver rather than creating just another glorified fiat, I won’t trust a word.
https://stevenguinness2.wordpress.com/2020/04/22/are-cbdcs-the-overarching-goal-behind-the-digitisation-of-money/
Meat shortages may be on way:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-22/tyson-foods-to-indefinitely-suspend-waterloo-operations-k9bbgnr9
US Republican Lawmaker Tells Iran to ‘Get Its Act Together’ or Prepare to ‘Meet Soleimani’ (sputniknews, Apr 23, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/world/202004231079067106-us-republican-lawmaker-tells-iran-to-get-its-act-together-or-prepare-to-meet-soleimani/
“US House Republican Matt Gaetz has issued a stark warning to Iran cautioning it against any hostile actions against American forces and promising that despite Washington’s unwillingness to engage in open hostilities, it will respond to what the lawmaker described as “terrorism”.
“The US doesn’t seek a war with Iran […] under President Trump’s doctrine, we are not going to engage in endless foreign wars, but we will take out terrorists. So, the message is very clear to any Iranian official that would engage in terrorism: Either get your act together or get prepared to meet General Soleimani”, Gaetz said referring to the US Air Force operation in January 2020 that resulted in the murder of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was at the time on a diplomatic mission in Iraq.
The lawmaker noted that US President Donald Trump had already warned Iran about the consequences of harassing American warships patrolling the Persian Gulf that has allegedly been taking place recently. He added that any “war” with the US will be lost by Iran, but noted that the ultimate winner in such hostilities would be China, without elaborating why…”
IRGC Head Says US Warships Will be Destroyed if They Threaten Iranian Vessels (sputniknews, Apr 23, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202004231079065678-american-forces-provoking-iranian-sailors-on-persian-gulf-shores—foreign-minister-zarif-/
“The statement comes amid brewing tensions in the Persian Gulf region, instigated by US war manoeuvres with its Arab allies in gulf waters that have drawn anger from Tehran.
US naval vessels will be destroyed should they threaten Iranian military or non-military ships in the Persian Gulf, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami said in a speech broadcast by state TV. Salami noted that any US provocation will be met with a “crushing response”.
“The security of the Persian Gulf is part of Iran’s strategic priorities”, Salami stated.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter earlier in the day that US forces, provoking Iranian sailors in the Persian Gulf, have no business in waters located 7,000 miles away from home. In the tweet, the minister called on President Trump to attend to US needs amid the coronavirus pandemic, rather than meddling in affairs in the gulf.
Iran has repeatedly condemned the US presence in the region, slamming it as “illegal”, and signalled its willingness to ramp up its defences.
The recent spike in tensions comes after the US Navy blasted Iranian forces for engaging in “dangerous and harassing” behaviour against large American surface ships during the drills.
The US has been conducting military manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf since late March, with the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and its battle group arriving in the waterway in early April.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he has directed the US Navy to attack and destroy any Iranian gunboats that approach and intimidate its warships at sea.”
Iran Summons Swiss Ambassador Representing US to Lodge Protest Against Trump’s Threats (sputniknews, Apr 23, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202004231079066568-iran-summons-swiss-ambassador-representing-us-to-lodge-protest-against-trumps-threats/
“The US president said he had “instructed” the country’s Navy to shoot and sink Iranian gunboats if they start harassing American war vessels in the Persian Gulf. Head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami later cautioned Washington against such step warning that Tehran will shoot back.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents the US interests in the country in the absence of an American diplomatic mission, to lodge a protest against the most recent US threats against the Islamic Republic.
“He [the diplomat] was given a note for the US authorities with Iran’s decisive protest against the threats of the US forces, including their illegal presence and actions, destabilisation of the naval navigation in the north of the Persian Gulf and next to Iran’s coast”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
The ministry said that Iran strongly opposes all threats made by US President Donald Trump in his tweet on 22 April and will respond to any threats to the country.
Iran, in its message conveyed via the Swiss ambassador, also advised Trump to focus on fighting the coronavirus pandemic right now because the US remains the leader in terms of the number of cases worldwide. Tehran additionally suggested that the American military would be of more use in helping Washington deal with the epidemic rather than patrolling the Gulf…”
Brawl With Police in Paris Suburbs Unlikely to Turn Into 2005 Riot-Like Unrest – French Minister (sputniknews, Apr 23, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/202004231079063794-brawl-with-police-in-paris-suburbs-unlikely-to-turn-into-2005-riot-like-unrest—french-minister/
“As France has put stringent measures in place to limit movement in the country in a bid to fend off the spread of the coronavirus infection, low income neighbourhoods, adjacent to the capital city of Paris, have seen a spike in violence this week, prompted by discontent among local youths with the tactics employed by the police.
The unrest that swept the Paris suburbs this week is unlikely to instigate a major flareup on the scale of the 2005 riots, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told BFM TV.
“We are not in this sort of scenario”, he told the broadcaster.
The riots in question refer to a wave of civil unrest episodes that rocked the outskirts of Paris in October and November 2005, sparked by discontent among youths with what they perceived as police harassment in underpriviledged neighbourhoods. The tensions led to massive arrests, damage to property, and the death of several civilians.
France has seen an uptick in violence in the suburbs of Paris this week after a 30-year-old man sustained a critical injury in the Villeneuve-la-Garenne neighbourhood following a collision with an unmarked police car. This incident angered locals who condemned the police tactics as mistreatment of ethnic minorities during the lockdown.
France imposed a lockdown on 17 March to contain the coronavirus pandemic that has so far infected 116,151 and killed 20,763 in the country, according to data provided by the World Health Organisation as of 9:00 a.m. CEST.”
EUROPRAVDA- Paris clashes: Residents in poorest suburbs say lockdown policing is heavy-handed
Multiple nights of violence between Police and residents in Paris’s poorest suburbs have raised questions about tactics used by French police.
Residents say enforcement of a nationwide lockdown has been the latest example of heavy-handed policing.
But the police Prefecture disputes this telling euronews that they don’t respond to broad accusations.
The Corona Nostra sends their regards.
I hope you’re all aware that you cannot SUE big Pharmaceutical Companies for Vaccine Damages.
The Mantra of the Left and all those pro-abortionists is;
“My Body, my Choice”
How come that Governments and Leftists want to force People to be vaccinated?
Their claim is that people that are refusing to be vaccinated are risking the Lives of others.
How could this be in anyway possible, when those “others” are vaccinated?
It’s like saying a Non-Diabetic can’t eat Chocolate anymore because he/she are risking the Lives of Diabetics when eating Chocolate.
Personally, I will make sure that I live a healthy life and keep my immune system as high as possible with vitamins.
Something that I have been doing for many, many years and therefore no longer became seriously ill.
For instance I haven’t had malaria for 24 years now.
We all know what this is all about, MONEY and the POWER over peoples Health and Lives.
The immunity was give because the ability to manufacture our own medicine is essential to our continued existence, there are a lot of law firms who exist to sue large corporations out of business. The cost of letting big pharma be sued for side effects would end up being a total loss of freedom.
We are fighting to get our medical manufacturing back from China and you want to ship them back to other nations that will then hold us hostage.
We have to get that back, whatever it takes. That may mean leaning on Big Pharma AND ambulance-chasers.
Birmingham stabbing: Woman rushed to hospital after attack in Erdington (express, Apr 23, 2020)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1272862/birmingham-stabbing-erdington-police-west-midlands-police-latest
“A WOMAN has been rushed to hospital after she was stabbed in broad daylight in Birmingham.
The woman, in her 30s, was treated for knife injuries at the scene near a bus stop near Wood End Road and B4139 in the Birmingham suburb of Erdington at 9.15am. She has been taken to hospital for further treatment. Police said they have arrested a 54-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
The road has been closed off as police investigate.
A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service: “We were called at 9.16am to reports of a stabbing at the junction of Wood End Road and B4139 in Erdington.
“We sent an ambulance, paramedic officer and the West Midlands Care Team to the scene. We treated one patient, a woman, for non-life threatening injuries before taking her to hospital for further treatment.”
A West Midlands police spokesman said: “We were called to reports of a woman being stabbed near a bus stop in Wood End Road, Erdington at about 9.15am today (Thursday).
“The woman in her 30s has suffered a number of knife wounds to her neck and body and is now being treated in hospital, where her condition is described as being stable.
“A man, aged 54, was arrested nearby on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody for questioning.
“The road has been closed off as investigations continue.”
Anyone who has any information about the incident is asked to contact us via Live Chat at http://www.west-midlands.police.uk or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. They are asked to quote log 793 of 23 April.”
Very interesting interview. The position of this interviewee is that the U.S. Fed is a foreign globalist occupier. At the time of the interview he was not yet exposed to the idea that the CCP WMD was, possibly, intentionally released by the CCP to save its own skin by bringing down the USA:
https://youtu.be/reHK_Myq9iU
S. Korean gov’t to support local aviation, auto & shipbuilding industries
N. Korea leadership contingency plan would transfer power to Kim Jong-un’s sister: Yomiuri Shimbun
Bin Laden wanted to kill Obama because he thought Joe Biden was totally unprepared to be president and would ‘plunge the US into a crisis’, declassified documents show (dailymail, Apr 23, 2020)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8248717/Bin-Laden-wanted-kill-Obama-thought-Joe-Biden-totally-unprepared-president.html
“Osama bin Laden planned to assassinate President Barack Obama to unsteady the United States by putting ‘totally unprepared’ Joe Biden in charge.
Declassified documents seized from Bin Laden’s Pakistan compound as he was killed in May 2011 reveal his plans to throw the U.S. ‘into a crisis’ by killing Obama while he traveled in a plane with U.S. military commander David Petraeus.
The 45-page document, which were first reported by The Washington Post in 2012, is now available in full along with hundreds of others from the raid.
Osama wrote to Al Qaeda deputy Atiyah Abd al-Rahman: ‘The reason for concentrating on them is that Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make [Vice President] Biden take over the presidency, Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the U.S. into a crisis.
‘As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour … and killing him would alter the war’s path’ in Afghanistan.’
Osama’s ambition was to have Ilyas Kasmiri, described by U.S. officials as Al Qaeda’s military operations chief in Pakistan, shoot down the plane carrying Obama.
The aspirations never developed into further planning, the U.S. intelligence service told The Washington Post.
Detailing his plans Osama wrote: ‘Please ask brother Ilyas to send me the steps he has taken into that work.’
Kasmiri was killed by a U.S. drone strike shortly after Bin Laden was killed by the U.S. special forces. Atiyah Abd al-Rahman was reportedly killed by a CIA drone strike in August of 2011.
In a description of the tense 2011 strategy session ahead of the raid which killed Bin Laden, told by Biden almost eight years ago during a retreat in Maryland for congressional Democrats, he recalled that he said: ‘Mr. President, my suggestion is, don’t go – we have to do two more things to see if he’s there.’
He has since changed his story about the Navy SEAL mission in a conversation with a Fox News reporter earlier this year.
‘As commander in chief, if you were ever handed a piece of intelligence that said you could stop an imminent attack on Americans — but you have to use an airstrike to take out a terrorist leader — would you pull the trigger?’ the reporter asked Biden.
‘Well we did – the guy’s name was Osama bin Laden,’ replied Biden, who was vice president when bin Laden was killed.
‘Didn’t you tell President Obama not to go after bin Laden that day?’ the reporter asked.
‘No, I didn’t,’ Biden said.
Obama later told Mitt Romney that ‘Even some in my own party, including my current vice president, had the same critique as you did’, confirming Biden’s position against the strike on Bin Laden in 2011, reports Fox News.”
Seoul’s small business owners to get 1.4 million each in COVID-19 relief
Germany: Syrian Migrants Tried for Crimes Against Humanity (breitbart, Apr 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/04/23/germany-syrian-migrants-tried-crimes-against-humanity/
“Two former members of Syria’s secret police go on trial Thursday in Germany accused of crimes against humanity for their role in a government-run detention centre where large numbers of opposition protesters were tortured.
The trial of Anwar R. and Eyad A., whose last names weren’t released because of German privacy rules, is the first time that two representatives of the Syrian government face trial abroad for war crimes allegedly committed during the country’s years-long civil war.
The men, who were arrested in Germany early last year, will face testimony from several Syrian refugees who allege they were tortured at the detention centre known as Al Khatib, or Branch 251, near Damascus.
Federal prosecutors allege 57-year-old Anwar R. was in charge of the site and thereby responsible for crimes against humanity, rape and the murder of at least 58 people there. The indictment by German prosecutors accuses him of complicity in more than 4,000 cases of torture.
Eyad A., 43, is accused of being part of a police squad that detained protesters and brought them back to Branch 251, where they were then mistreated.
At least nine torture victims are represented as co-plaintiffs in the case, as allowed under German law, while several more are expected to be called as witnesses. They are supported by the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights.
If convicted, Anwar R. could face life imprisonment. Eyad A. could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison if convicted of complicity in crimes against humanity.
The defendants’ lawyers declined to comment ahead of the trial, which is scheduled to last several months. The men, who themselves left Syria for Germany before their arrest in February 2019, remain in prison.
The trial has been described as a pivotal moment in the effort to bring Syrian officials accused of crimes to justice.
“With other avenues for justice blocked, criminal prosecutions in Europe offer hope for victims of crimes in Syria who have nowhere else to turn,” said Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch. “The trial in Koblenz shows that courts, even thousands of miles away from where the atrocities occurred, can play a critical role in combating impunity.”
The Koblenz regional court, where the trial is being held, has reduced the number of seats available to reporters and the general public by a third, due to social distancing rules to combat the coronavirus pandemic.”
S. Korean economy shrinks 1.4% q/q in Q1; sharpest decline since 2008 global financial crisis
CDC says second wave of COVID-19 could hit US next winter
CNN – Wuhan resident: A second wave is ‘absolutely’ coming
Germany: “We are at beginning of pandemic, will have to live with virus for long time” – Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the COVID-19 pandemic was still in its first phase during her speech in Bundestag in Berlin on Thursday.
“Nobody wants to hear it, but it’s the truth. We are not in the final phase of the pandemic but rather at the beginning. We will have to live with the virus for a long time to come,” said Merkel.
The Chancellor said it was still too early to disregard threats posed by the novel coronavirus.
“I support the decisions the federal and state governments made last week. But I am worried about the implementation of such decisions. They seems a little vigourous to me in parts, if not too vigourous, in fact,” said Merkel.
Germany began easing coronavirus restrictions on Monday allowing some businesses to reopen.
Switzerland: “Make no mistake: we have a long way to go,” warns WHO chief of COVID-19 crisis
Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus warned that “make no mistake: we have a long way to go” and that the COVID-19 disease “will be with us for a long time,” during a press briefing in Geneva? on Wednesday.
Dr Tedros said, “Early evidence suggests most of the world’s population remains susceptible. That means epidemics can easily re-ignite,” adding, “Numbers are low, we see worrying upward trends in Africa, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe” as many nations are still in the “early stages of their epidemics.”
Despite this, Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Michael Ryan, urged that “with a focus on preparation, on surveillance and community mobilization, and on the undoubted capacity for innovation and science in Africa, that we can avoid the worst of this pandemic.”
In regards to the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, Dr Tedros said, “Looking back, I think we declared the emergency at the right time. And when the world had enough time to respond, when the rest of the world had enough time to respond.”
UN chief warns against coronavirus becoming a human rights crisis
The Sun – New face mask advice explained as UK COVID-19 deaths reach 18,000
The UK’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies or SAGE, will today make recommendations to ministers as to whether to advise the public to wear face masks. The Sun revealed on Tuesday the advice will be for the population to wear masks when going outside.
However, there are some caveats. One major problem of telling the population to wear masks is that this will reduce supply of personal protective equipment to the NHS. To get around this, SAGE will recommend people wear something as simple as a scarf or piece of clothing instead. Furthermore the advice will not be to wear a mask in public at all times, for example in a park or quiet street there is little utility in wearing a mask. But in offices, busy streets and shops, it is far more likely to stop the spread of the virus.
The WHO says only sick people and those caring for coronavirus patients should wear face masks. The reasons for this are that they can be contaminated by other people’s coughs, and when taking them off on and on. Also they are less effective than social distancing and washing your hands.
Germany: Merkel reiterates support for WHO after US criticism over COVID-19 response
German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated her support for the World Health Organization (WHO) during a statement in Berlin on Thursday, following a video conference with EU leaders on the response to the coronavirus crisis.
The chancellor also touched on her support for a large EU-funded package to help EU states deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We do not know how the tourism industry in Europe will develop, we do not know what it will be like to buy cars after the pandemic is over and it is very difficult to predict now but everyone agreed that this is not about 50 billion,” she said.
Merkel also said that during the meeting she had once again ruled out the proposal of issuing joint Euro government bonds, so-called Eurobonds, as a potential measure to help countries dealing with the economic fallout of the coronavirus.
She also stated that the German federal and state governments will probably not decide on possible further easing of the corona-related restrictions until May 6th.
COVID-19: Vietnam becomes first Southeast Asian country to ease movement curbs
When the ChiCom puppet at WHO lavished praise on Vietnam, I took a closer look.
Vietnam is a brutal communist country. Yes, they’ve managed the virus efficiently. Like Mussolini, who got the trains to run on time.
Ninety-seven million Vietnamese people escape death from COVID-19
https://www.vietnamtribune.com/news/264769423/ninety-seven-million-vietnamese-people-escape-death-from-coronavirus
COVID-19: Community groups in Singapore race to help foreign workers
Border checkpoint between Thailand, Malaysia shuts after officer tests positive for COVID-19
COVID-19: Vietnam to ease safe distancing measures in most parts of the country
German Muslim Leader Demands Government Mosque Bailout (breitbart, Apr 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/04/23/german-muslim-leader-demands-government-mosque-bailout/
“Aiman ??Mazyek, chairman of the Central Council of Muslims, has called on the German government to give aid to mosques struggling financially due to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Mazyek said that many mosques in Germany were facing financial difficulties due to the lockdown measures and that many were on the verge of bankruptcy as they rely on individual donations from worshippers.
“Many mosques are facing bankruptcy because they lived off the collection for Friday prayers. They will soon no longer be able to pay their rents, property loan rates, or their staff,” he told German magazine Der Spiegel in an interview this week.
“Unlike the churches, many of the congregations in Germany are funded to a large extent through the collections. In addition: 30 to almost 50 per cent of this income is generated annually, especially in the Ramadan period,” he added.
Mazyek said the solution to the problem should come in the form of a bailout from the German government, saying: “Mosques and their leaders have proven to be particularly responsible in the coronavirus period.”
“They are in the districts and are indispensable institutions for our society. Therefore, the government must also compensate in the form of [monetary] compensation for the loss of revenue caused by the closure,” he said.
“If this does not happen, not a few mosques will no longer exist after the corona crisis. And with them the welfare, pastoral care, and social integration that they are currently doing for our society will disappear,” he added.
Many German mosques benefit from overseas funding, particularly from states like Turkey, which largely funded the construction of the Cologne mega-mosque that was completed in Septemeber 2018 and officially opened by Turkey’s Islamist president, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an.
Germany had also previously mulled the idea of a “mosque tax” that would allow mosques to be funded through the tax money and remove the need to rely on foreign funding.”
India suspends use of rapid testing kits for COVID-19
Beijing enjoys clear skies as lockdown reduces pollution from factories
Prior to the brief shutdown of CNA videos on You Tube they always had a couple of videos a day about the Wuhan Flu in China, today there were two articles one on air pollution I forget what the other one (just below this comment) is on but it isn’t anything that could be considered commenting on China and a Chinese connection to the Flu. You Tube strikes again.
Praising Vietnam in the context of the Wuhan is a friendly gesture. I wouldn’t bet the farm on Vietnam’s statistics and neither would sensible Singapore. They have to be circumspect in that neighborhood.
COVID-19: Blame game could threaten international cooperation, says EU
COVID-19: Taiwan president apologises over outbreak among navy personnel
Singapore’s oil trading, bunkering sectors face slump in demand: Experts
2,273 views
•Apr 21, 2020
Singapore’s oil trading, bunkering sectors face slump in demand: Experts
Migrants Given Contacts of Italian Lawyers Before They Even Cross Mediterranean (breitbart, Apr 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/04/23/migrants-given-contacts-of-italian-lawyers-before-they-even-reach-eu/
“An incident that took place over Easter weekend has revealed that migrants leaving North African shores are being given contact details of Italian lawyers before they even leave for Europe.
Two migrants were able to contact a lawyer and start an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights while they were still in the process of crossing the Mediterranean in a rubber dinghy, shortly after they had departed from the port of Al Khoms, near Tripoli.
Sudanese migrant Abdel Wahab Mohamed and Ivorian migrant Naseneva Diabj were able to contact Italian lawyer Lucia Gennari who works for the migrant transport NGO Mediterranea-Saving Humans, according to a report published last month.
The testimony of the migrants, according to a report from newspaper Il Giornale published this week, was presented to the court in Strasbourg while they were still at sea and claimed that 47 migrants were aboard the ship, several of them ill.
Two complaints were filed over that Easter weekend, one demanding the migrants be given a safe haven in Malta and another listing alleged human rights violations by Malta and Italy.
The migrants aboard the dinghy, including the two who contacted the Italian lawyer, were later recovered by a fishing vessel which took them all back to Libya.
Previously, migrant transport NGOs have denied links to people traffickers in North Africa, while Italian prosecutors have asserted the groups have direct links.
In 2017, Italian Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio released images allegedly showing people traffickers working with the German-based NGO Jugend Rettet and its ship the Iuventa in the search and rescue area off the coast of Libya.
“The evidence is serious. We have evidence of encounters between smugglers who have accompanied illegal immigrants to the ‘Iuventa’, and members of the crew,” Cartosio said at the time.
A year later, a former security staff member for the NGO Save the Children made similar claims and stated the NGOs “filmed and knew everything. They didn’t want any information to come out of the ship without their approval.”
The outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus has largely stopped migrant transport NGO activity in the Mediterranean, with Sea-Eye being one of the few still active.
Earlier this month, doctor Caterina Ciufegni, who works for Sea-Eye, claimed that transporting migrants was more important than worrying about the spread of coronavirus.
“Facing people who run away from torture, coronavirus takes second place. I think we all accepted the risk,” she said.”
CBC – Halifax imam reflects on Nova Scotia shooting, Ramadan amid pandemic
Imam Abdallah Yousri with the Ummah Mosque and Community Centre talks about how his community is reacting to the Nova Scotia shooting, and how COVID-19 has changed Ramadan this year.
europravda – Coronavirus and Islam: How to celebrate Ramadan under lockdown
UK mosque builds 150-capacity temporary mortuary in carpark
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison Special Message to Muslims about Ramadan ” Ramadan Kareem”
Ramadan Mubarak – A message from US command
UN Secretary-General message on the beginning of Ramadan 2020
U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan Ramadan Mubarak Message.
Sky News – Coronavirus: What will Ramadan in lockdown be like?
There are fears that some mosques in the UK may close permanently after the coronavirus lockdown.
The Muslim Council of Britain suggested mosques, which are publicly funded when people visit, will be hit hard as they have been closed during the coronavirus lockdown.
It comes as 23 April marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, where Muslims across the world will spend the next four weeks fasting, praying and reflecting on life in their communities.
Sky News -Coronavirus: lockdown protests escalate in the US
In America protests are growing against the coronavirus lockdown measures – in Georgia, non-essential businesses will re-open, against the advice of the President Donald Trump.
And in Virginia they too want the state to re-open for business.
But are the protesters motivated by science or more deep-rooted beliefs?
USA: Protesters denounce coronavirus measures outside New York State Capitol
Protesters picketed outside the State Capitol in Albany, New York, on Wednesday, to denounce the measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, saying that it hurts local economy. Similar protests have been taking place in other US cities over the past week.
Footage shows protesters lined up outside the building with placards and US flags, as well as dozens of vehicles driving past it and honking.
Michael, a protester, said, “I’m an audio engineer, and every festival and concert and show across the nation right now has been shut down. Everything’s been shut down. We can’t work, we can’t make money, we can’t support our families.”
“The constitution was not meant to suppress us; it was meant to suppress our government. That’s why we are here. You know? We’re supporting everybody that’s out there right now sitting on their couch. We are fighting right now for you rights, right now,” he added.
Aaron, another protester, said, “Our enemy is not only the virus but the economic collapse. That’s also our enemy. We need to take zinc, we need to take Vitamin B3, we need to take Magnesium, we need to take high doses of Vitamin C, we need to build our immune system, we need to work out, we need to get sunlight. We also need to wash our hands and we need to get back to work.”
Similar protests demanding the end of lockdown measures implemented to slow the spread of the virus have been held in several other states in recent days, including in Texas, Michigan and Virginia.
With over 840,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 46,000 people having died with the disease, the United States is the worst-hit country in the world, having more confirmed cases than the next five countries combined.
AFPLong queues for virus tea ‘cure’ in Madagascar
As confinement measures are gradually relaxed in Madasgacar, a traditional remedy endorsed by president Andry Rajoelina is being handed out for free to residents as a purported cure for the coronavirus.
But the claims are contrary to warnings from scientists, who say there is no known cure for COVID-19.
Ok… A little update on the ridiculous “human rights” case against Finland:
Case number in European Court of Human Rights: (14.11.2019) 25244/18
Original fakenews in YLE (Finnish public broadcaster) with forged death certificate:
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10068103
“Finland didn’t give Ali asylum, killed instantly in Iraq – daughter awaits her own deportation”
Original ECHR-document, downloadable PDF-link (in french):
https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng-press#{%22itemid%22:[%22003-6562566-8683509%22]}
So at least, forgery of the death certificate is now confirmed by Iraqi officials and finnish KRP (National Bureau of Investigation) is on the case – a strongest possible evidence of it being fraud.
The daughter has not yet received 20 000€ compensation of her awful ordeal and apparently is still in Finland enjoying Finnish taxpayers hospitality. Atleast one person (the daughter?) have been arrested by police.
And offcourse, finnish activists, like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Scheinin allready started their damage control-operation for example claiming that the EHRC-judgement still stands even if iraqi man is still alive – this is about human rights violation committed by finnish state(!) IT COULD HAVE BEEN TRUE !!! 🙂
All of these european systems are seriosly corrupted and MUST be broken up and reassembled!
I’d like to add, that to my dismay it was especially finnish government organization who spread the news of this “human rights violation” to international arena. Try google ”European Court of Human Rights finland iraqi”…
Offcourse, finnish SJW’s had the field day of their lives with this and used it as perfect example of racist nature of finnish state and people. Apparently those activist also started and aided with the EHRC-process, witch suggests that the iraqi man’s daghter got herself into something she didn’t quite understand…
And to add injury to insult, finnish interior minister, fanatic green party member Maria Ohisalo immediately seized all deportations, atleast to Iraq.
WHO praises South Africa for efforts to prevent the virus from spreading
Dr Michael Ryan singled out South Africa .. praising it for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
SKY News – Coronavirus: Hunger trumps fear in South Africa
There have been protests and looting in South Africa which is enduring one of the world’s strictest lockdowns.
The restrictions have halted all economic activity, apart from essential services, but for many people not working means not eating. And hunger is a bigger threat than the virus.
reuters People in South Africa suffering amid tough lockdown measure
Hungry Scottsdene residents protest for food
Hungry Scottsdene residents at Kraaifontein, near Cape Town, have led a silent protest for food. Community leaders say up until now, residents have been helping each other but there’s nothing left to share.
Cape Town residents break into supermarket during lockdown
Turkish Radio & Television South Africa warns against false healing claims
Traditional healer in South Africa warns people to be careful of charlatans claiming they can cure the novel coronavirus.
Sky News – COVID-19: What happens when coronavirus hits Africa?
Coronavirus has the potential to devastate Africa but in comparison to Europe and the US, the number of infections hasn’t rocketed – yet.
Deutsche Pravda South Africa locks homeless up in detention camp
Turkish Radio & Television Why are ultra-Orthodox Jews defying coronavirus rules?
TORONTO – Man arrested in ‘doughnut’ incident in Yonge-Dundas intersection
A 21-year-old man has been arrested after a driver took advantage of a deserted downtown Toronto on Monday night, doing “doughnuts” in the middle of the normally busy intersection outside the Eaton Centre.
Amidulla Baluch faces five charges, including dangerous operation of a conveyance, mischief endangering life, flight while pursed by a peace officer, stunt driving and careless driving.
Baluch is to appear in court at Old City hall on Thursday morning.
A 35-second clip shows what appears to be a black-coloured Mustang continuously spinning in the centre of the scramble crosswalk as the filmer stands at the northeast corner of Yonge and Dundas Sts. around 10:12 p.m.
At the 23-second mark, a police SUV comes barrelling down Yonge St. and begins pursuit of the vehicle.
“Officers became aware of a man performing ‘doughnuts’ and a short pursuit did take place,” Toronto Police spokesman Connie Osborne said Wednesday.
The 22-year-old who filmed the footage said he spotted the stunt while walking to his nearby home.
“Cars just started blocking each end of the intersection and the guy started doing doughnuts for a couple minutes,” recalled Noah, who didn’t want his last name used.
“I haven’t really seen anything like this in person, only videos online, and I didn’t know Toronto had this kind of scene. Was kinda dope, to be honest, but obviously dangerous and irresponsible to be doing.”
He said a number of other wtnesses were as stunned as him.
“I mean, there’s nothing else you do but watch and keep your distance.”
The video has been viewed more than 14,500 times on Reddit, yielding hundreds of comments.
https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/watch-car-does-doughnuts-in-yonge-dundas-square
the rebel – EXCLUSIVE! Ontario nurse SPEAKS OUT: No coronavirus emergency in Ontario hospitals
In this exclusive interview, an Ontario nurse speaks with Rebel News about what hospitals are really like during the coronavirus lockdown, and offers a front line medical perspective on illness, comorbidities, the seasonal flu and death.
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/why-muslim-nations-cant-handle-the-coronavirus
This is a pretty interesting article.
“Putin’s Long War Against American Science”
by William J. Broad – April 13, 2020 Updated April 14, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/science/putin-russia-disinformation-health-coronavirus.html
National security expert calls for reparations from China’s ruling class
“Idaho Mom Playing in Park with Her Children Arrested for Disobeying ‘No Trespassing’ Orders”
by Megan Fox – April 22, 2020
https://pjmedia.com/trending/idaho-mom-playing-in-park-with-her-children-arrested-for-disobeying-no-trespassing-orders/
Scroll up: “Now moms are handcuffed for pushing their kids on the swings?! This is unconstitutional! Life! Liberty! The Pursuit of Happiness! Are God given unalienable rights.”
Code of Vets – April 21, 2020 – Twitter
https://twitter.com/codeofvets/status/1252781407950135296
“Meridian Idaho Protest”
Will Deal – April 21, 2020
A mother was arrested on 4/21 in a public park with her kids. She was arrested for trespassing. This protest happened later that day.
A few replies to @codeofvets:
https://twitter.com/OBTallguy/status/1252786421137420288
Here’s the follow up…
https://twitter.com/leepd84/status/1253324435748040704
She actually organized a play date…
https://twitter.com/GaryMontoya/status/1253068317297795073
They didn’t want to but she backed em into a corner…
https://twitter.com/HaumesserDaniel/status/1253049732416618499
Now this
“Ammon Bundy Goes to Residence of Police Officer Who Arrested Idaho Mother in Front of Her Children at a Park (VIDEO)”
by Cristina Laila – April 23, 2020
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/ammon-bundy-goes-residence-police-officer-arrested-idaho-mother-front-children-park-video/
“Bundy goes to resident of police offer who arrested a mother who took her children to a park..”
Pam Hemphill – April 21, 2020
Pompeo says U.S. may never restore WHO funds; Democrats insist it must
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a fundamental reform of the World Health Organization was needed following its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and that the United States, the WHO’s biggest donor, may never restore funding to the U.N. body.
As Pompeo launched fresh attacks on the U.N. body on Wednesday, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives accused the Trump administration of trying to “scapegoat” the WHO to distract from its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
https://www.oann.com/pompeo-warns-u-s-may-never-restore-who-funding/
Pompeo says US needs to take a ‘real hard look at WHO’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joins Laura Ingraham for an exclusive interview on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
DAILY MAIL – Was Hockney RIGHT? French researchers to give nicotine patches to coronavirus patients and frontline workers after lower rates of infection were found among smokers
A French study found that only 4.4% of 350 coronavirus patients hospitalized were regular smokers and 5.3% of 130 homebound patients smoked
This pales in comparison with at least 25% of the French population that smokes
Researchers theorized nicotine could prevent the virus from infecting cells or that nicotine was preventing the immune system from overreacting to the virus
To test this theory, hospitalized coronavirus patients, intensive care patients and frontline workers nicotine patches
French researchers are planning to trial whether nicotine patches will help prevent – or lessen the effects of – the deadly coronavirus.
Evidence is beginning to show the proportion of smokers infected with coronavirus is much lower than the rates in the general population.
Scientists are now questioning whether nicotine could stop the virus from infecting cells, or if it may prevent the immune system overreacting to the infection.
Doctors at a major hospital in Paris – who also found low rates of smoking among the infected – are now planning to give nicotine patches to COVID-19 patients.
They will also give them to frontline workers to see if the stimulant has any effect on preventing the spread of the virus, according to reports.
It comes after world-famous artist David Hockney last week said he believes smoking could protect people against the deadly coronavirus.
MailOnline looked at the science and found he may have been onto something, with one researcher saying there was ‘bizarrely strong’ evidence it could be true.
One study in China, where the pandemic began, showed only 6.5 per cent of COVID-19 patients were smokers, compared to 26.6 per cent of the population.
Another study, by the Centers for Disease Control in the US, found just 1.3 per cent of hospitalised patients were smokers – compared to 14 per cent of America.
And research by hospitals in Paris found that smokers were under-represented in both inpatients and outpatients, suggesting that any protective effect could affect anyone, not just those hospitalised by their illness.
The French study, performed at Pitié Salpêtrière – part of the Hôpitaux de Paris, used data from 480 patients who tested positive for the virus.
Three hundred and fifty were hospitalized and the remainder recovered at home.
Results showed that of the patients hospitalized, with a median age of 65, only 4.4 percent were regular smokers. But among those at home, with a median age of 44, 5.3 percent smoked.
By comparison, among the general population, 40 percent of those between ages 44 and 53 smoke, and around 11 percent of those aged 65 to 75 smoke.
The researchers determined that far fewer smokers appear to have contracted the virus or, if they have, their symptoms are less serious.
Our cross-sectional study strongly suggests that those who smoke every day are much less likely to develop a symptomatic or severe infection with Sars-CoV-2 compared with the general population,’ the study reads.
‘The effect is significant. It divides the risk by five for ambulatory patients and by four for those admitted to hospital. We rarely see this in medicine.’
The team says it is not advocating that anyone start smoking because cigarettes have fatal health risks.
However, French neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux, who reviewed the study, told The Guardian that nicotine may be hindering the virus from entering the body’s cells.
In addition, the authors theorize nicotine could abate the immune system’s overreaction to the virus, which leads to serious complications in some patients.
The researchers will verify the study’s results by giving nicotine patches to hospital patients, those in intensive care and frontline workers.
This is not the first article to suggest that nicotine may ward off the coronavirus.
A French study from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie found that just 8.5 percent of 11,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients were smokers compared to 25.4 percent of the country’s population.
And it also found, albeit in a small study, that people who had milder coronavirus infections and didn’t need to be admitted to hospital had lower smoking rates, too.
Just 5.3 per cent of the 139 outpatients in the study were classed as active smokers – still a fifth of the proportion of smokers in the general public.
The paper focused on statistics but pointed to past research which suggested nicotine may alter receptors inside the body called ACE-2 receptors, which the coronavirus relies on as its gateway into the body.
Any protective effect, the researchers suggested, may therefore work for people with any level of infection, not just those with severe illness.
They wrote: ‘The [smoking rates] did not differ between outpatients and inpatients, suggesting that the protective effect of smoking covered the whole population of symptomatic (both non-severe and severe) patients.
more :
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8246939/French-researchers-plan-nicotine-patches-coronavirus-patients-frontline-workers.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8246939/French-researchers-plan-nicotine-patches-coronavirus-patients-frontline-workers.html
Chinese journalist who disappeared for weeks after reporting on the coronavirus cover-up resurfaces in video praising police
Go figure
A Chinese citizen journalist who went missing for nearly two months after exposing the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan has resurfaced in a video praising police for its “civil” and “legal” treatment of him.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/missing-chinese-journalist-resurfaces-praising-police?utm_source=theblaze-breaking&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200423TRending-ChineseJournalist&utm_term=TheBlaze%20Breaking%20News
Iowa Congressional Candidate Calls for Redefining Islam as ‘Militant Cultural Imperialism Seeking World Domination’
Muslim Imperialists are predictably enraged.
The coronavirus is bad enough, but the real pandemic these days is of cowardice. Nonetheless, even in these days of wokeness, political correctness, and “hate speech,” there are a few public figures with courage. One of them is Rick Phillips (pictured above), a Republican Congressional candidate from Iowa, who has dared to grasp the third rail of American public life and state that Islam is not actually the cuddly religion of peace that every enlightened American assumes it to be at this point.
The Des Moines Register reported Monday that Phillips’ “platform calls for redefining Islam as ‘militant cultural imperialism seeking world domination,’” and that he “drew fire Monday for saying he doesn’t believe Islam is protected under the First Amendment.”
Phillips stated on Quad Cities TV station WHBF that the Founding Fathers had only Christianity in mind when they wrote the First Amendment. “They were not talking about anti-Christian beliefs,” he explained. “Now, if a person doesn’t want to believe in Christ, that’s their business. But to say that this First Amendment right includes all religions in the world, I think, is erroneous.”
https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/04/iowa-congressional-candidate-calls-redefining-robert-spencer
“A message for dancing doctors and nurses on tictoc.”
Katie Hopkins – April 22, 2020 – Twitter
https://twitter.com/KTHopkins/status/1252937044810227712