Welcome to Sott.net
Tue, 02 Nov 2021
The World for People who Think

Society's Child
Map

Handcuffs

Hungarian parliament considers legislation to jail NGOs that assist migrants

anti immigrant protest Hungary
© Zoltan Gergely Kelemen/European Press Agency
People protesting in Roszke, Hungary, 15 April 2017. The protests were aimed against the measures taken by the Hungarian government against migration.
Individuals or groups who help migrants not entitled to protection to submit requests for asylum or who help illegal migrants gain status to stay in Hungary will be liable to jail under legislation submitted to parliament on Tuesday (29 May).

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government has also proposed amending the constitution to state that an "alien population" cannot be settled in Hungary, rejecting European Union quotas to distribute migrants around the bloc.

Fresh from a landslide election win in April, Hungary's combative premier Viktor Orbán was formally sworn in as prime minister Thursday (10 May), and hinted at designs on power until at least 2030.

In power since 2010, the right-wing nationalist Orbán has tightened state control over the media and campaigned on a platform of fierce hostility to immigration - policies that have put him in conflict with the European Union, which funds development policies to the tune of billions of euros a year.

Comment:


Stock Down

Disney shares tumble after ABC cancels Roseanne

roseanne

Roseanne Barr
Disney HQ likely wasn't the happiest place on Earth on Tuesday, as shares of the entertainment giant closed at $99.72, down 2.4 percent after a double-whammy of bad news.

The decline followed a tough weekend at the box office for Disney as the film studio's latest Lucasfilm project, "Solo: A Star Wars Story," underperformed, bringing in just $103 million in box office receipts for the 4-day Memorial Day weekend.

Disney had expected the film t o open with $130 million. The disappointing returns of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" has raised concerns for Lucasfilm and its "Star Wars" universe.

Comment: Television shows will rarely if ever get canceled as long as they are performing well in the ratings. This was clearly a decision to stamp out a show that did not conform to Hollywood's liberal standards


Clipboard

Pushback: Poll finds over 40% of western Europeans find Islam 'incompatible' with their values

immgrants europe
© Benoit Tessier / Reuters
Some 42 percent of people across western Europe believe Islam is incompatible with their values, a new Pew survey has found, noting that Christian-affiliated responders are more likely to reject foreigners in their community.

In recent years, Europe has experienced a record influx of asylum-seekers and migrants from predominantly Muslim countries who are fleeing conflicts across the Middle East and North Africa. The wave of migration, encouraged by the German 'open-door' refugee policy, has prompted a heated public debate about immigration, border control, and security policies across Europe.

A new Pew Research Center survey has found that around 42 percent of the general population across 15 western European states believe that "Islam is fundamentally incompatible" with their national values and culture. Twenty-six percent of them believe that migrants from the Middle East are dishonest.

Comment: If Europe stopped being Washington's vassel in all it's disastrous wars, there would be no migrant problem. Ghadaffi warned of this in 2010.

Gaddafi to EU one year before they destroyed his country: 'Libya needs help preventing African migrants from flooding Europe'


No Entry

#SaudiToo: Saudi Arabia outlaws sexual harassment

saudi women
© REUTERS / Faisal Al Nasser
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia passed a new law criminalizing sexual harassment, less than a month before Saudi women will be allowed to drive for the first time in more than 25 years.

The Shura Council, the kingdom's formal advisory body, passed a draft law on Monday that will require offenders to spend up to five years behind bars and pay a maximum penalty of $80,000 if they're found guilty of sexual harassment. The law was approved by the Saudi cabinet on Wednesday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

"After reviewing the comments of His Royal Highness the Minister of Interior, and after considering the Shura Council Resolution No. (163/40) dated 13/9/1439 H (May 28, 2018), the Council of Ministers decided to approve the system to combat the crime of harassment," the official cabinet statement reads.

The legislation contains eight articles that "aim at combating the crime of harassment, preventing it, applying punishment against perpetrators and protecting the victims in order to safeguard the individual's privacy, dignity and personal freedom which are guaranteed by Islamic law and regulations," the statement adds.

However, what constitutes harassment is not outlined.


Comment: We guess that makes Saudi Arabia officially a Western democracy. Because undefined categories of sex crime are what the West does best. But seriously, it probably would have been better to start with actual rape laws. At the very least Saudi Arabia gets points for attempting to steer society into the 21st century (by way of the 20th century). When you're living like it's the 8th century, you've gotta start somewhere.


Document

Putin grants Russian citizenship to American MMA champion Jeffrey Monson

Jeffrey Monson
Another American celebrity has joined the likes of actor Steven Seagal and basketball player Jamierra Faulkner in becoming a Russian citizen.

Jeffrey Monson, a legendary mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, was granted Russian citizenship by decree of President Vladimir Putin yesterday, TASS reports.

The decree, published on the official legal information internet portal of the Russian Federation reads:

Info

Russia and China holding joint military cooperation talks

Russia China military
The Chinese and Russian militaries have been getting a lot closer lately, and Chinese diplomats paying visit to Russia have been playing a role in it recently. The topics of talks, held yesterday, between the two nation's military top brass, involved cooperation on confronting military issues that are perceived as common threats.

The Global Times reports:
The armed forces of China and Russia held their 20th round of strategic consultation in Beijing on Wednesday.

The two sides exchanged views and reached broad consensus on current international and regional hotspot issues and on further deepening China-Russia military cooperation under the new circumstances.

They pledged to firmly implement the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, boost bilateral military cooperation and make new contributions to pressing ahead with military strategic cooperation.

Li Zuocheng, member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department, met with the Russian delegation during the consultation.

Attention

Uber adds panic button to their app for passengers in case of sexual assault by driver

Car driver
© Tatiana Morozova / Global Look Press
Ride-hailing company Uber has added a panic alarm to their app in the United States so that riders have a quick way to contact 911 if they are attacked by the driver.

The company announced plans to introduce the feature nationwide last month. A number of Uber drivers have faced accusations of sex crimes for years.

"While no one should ever have to call 911 when using Uber, no form of transportation is 100 percent free of incidents," CEO Dana Khosrowshahi said at the time. "If ever faced with an emergency situation, we want to help you get the help you need."

Hardhat

Russia ready to extend Trans-Siberian Railway through Korean peninsula

Trans-Siberian Railway
© Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
A passenger train moves along a bridge of the Trans-Siberian Railway
The world's longest railway spanning almost the entire length of Russia - the Trans-Siberian - could get an extension to North and South Korea.

A memorandum on the project was signed 10 years ago, but talks have been frozen after relations between the two Koreas deteriorated. The recent thaw has seen Seoul and Pyongyang more open to improving ties.

"Nobody canceled the project and we still consider it to be extremely important... Technically, we are fully ready to connect the Trans-Korean highway with the Trans-Siberian Railway," a spokesman for the project, Gennady Bessonov, told RIA Novosti.

According to him, the whole problem lies in political relations between North and South Korea. "We have modernized the section from Hasan station in Russia to the North Korean port Rajin. Further connection is possible to Pyongyang and then to Seoul," Bessonov said.

Cross

'What in God's name!' Twitter rages over Televangelist pleading with flock to buy him 4th private jet

Jesse Duplantis
© Jesse Duplantis Ministries / Twitter
US televangelist Jesse Duplantis wants his congregation to chip in to buy him a new private jet - his fourth - because God told him so, apparently.

Duplantis implored his congregation to help fund private jet number four because, if Jesus was alive today, he "wouldn't be riding a donkey."

According to Duplantis, whose wealth is valued at least $40 million, he hesitated about the purchase, until he remembered a tip God gave him back in 1978, "I didn't ask you to pay for it. I asked you to believe for it." Duplantis took the divine message to mean 'ask your flock to fork out for it.'

The evangelical preacher explained the need for a fourth private jet on his 'This week with Jesse' show, in which he stood next to framed pictures of his fleet of jets before pointing out that the aircraft he bought 12 years ago required refuelling, meaning he had to pay "exorbitant" refuelling costs.

Cell Phone

Cell footage of Parkland shooter plotting massacre released

nikolas cruz
Cellphone footage has been released that shows Nickolas Cruz in the hours before he opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The disturbing videos give insight into a deranged individual who excitedly plotted the massacre and looked forward to the fame and notoriety it would bring him.

"Hello, my name is Nik, and I'm going to be the next school shooter of 2018. My goal is at least 20 people with an AR-15 and a couple tracer rounds," Cruz said as he filmed himself before carrying out a shooting that killed 17 people.

"The location is Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Florida. It's gonna be a big event, and when you see me on the news, you'll know who I am," Cruz said. He then chuckled and said in a high-pitched tone, "You're all going to die! Pew pew pew pew pew. Ah yeah. Can't wait."

In the next video, Cruz is wearing what appears to be a bright orange shirt, khaki shorts, black tennis shoes, and a black cast on his arm. With the camera aimed at the ground, he can be heard saying, "Today is the day. The day that it all begins. The day of my massacre shall begin. All the kids in school will run in fear and hide. From the wrath of my power, they will know who I am."

"I am nothing. I am no one. My life is nothing and meaningless. Everything I hold dear I let go," Cruz said in a monotone voice. In addition to a troubled past that included dozens of incidents in school and numerous reports to the police, Cruz was also reportedly taking antidepressants for depression and emotional issues.


Comment: Cruz obviously has emotional issues - a lot of them. Shallow affect, immaturity, superficial theatricality. Cruz lives life like it's a video game, because he lacks the ability to see other people as actual people. He only thinks of himself, sees himself as a victim, and resents other people for being normal.