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Fire

French prosecutors make ludicrous claim that burning cigarette or electrical fault could have started Notre Dame fire

Stuart Williams
Yahoo
Wed, 26 Jun 2019 16:01 UTC
Notre-Dame cathedral
© AFP Photo/Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT
A poorly stubbed-out cigarette or an electrical fault could have started the devastating fire that ripped through Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral in April, French prosecutors said Wednesday, while ruling out any criminal intent.

The statement by prosecutors, which also said an investigation was being opened into possible negligence, was the first official evaluation of the causes of the April 15 fire at the world heritage landmark that shocked France and the world.

But well over two months after the fire, it still offered no concrete conclusions over what caused one of the most catastrophic fires involving a cultural monument in the history of Paris.

French investigators were examining many hypotheses "including a malfunctioning of the electrical system or a fire which started with a badly stubbed-out cigarette", said a statement.
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Airplane

Cocaine elite: 39kg of yayo found in Brazilian president's 'backup' plane on its way to G20 summit in Japan


RT
Thu, 27 Jun 2019 16:00 UTC
cocain eplane spain brazil bolsonaro

Let's fly real high
A crew member from a Brazilian military plane used to arrange travel for the president was arrested in Spain with a bagful of cocaine in his luggage. The Brazilian leader said the man was not from "his team."

The Air Force service member was arrested by Spain's Civil Guard on Tuesday at Seville airport, where the plane stopped before flying to Osaka for the upcoming G20 summit. According to El Pais, the illegal cargo was found inside a bag of Sergeant Manoel Silva Rodrigues, during a mandatory check. Spanish customs authorities discovered 37 packages of cocaine each weighing over a kilo, or about 39kg in total, which the Brazilian reportedly didn't even bother to properly hide before trying to enter the country.


Comment: That sounds like it was for personal possession. As in, the president's entourage...


The failed smuggler was arrested while the rest of the crew left for Japan the same afternoon. The aircraft will be used as a backup plane for President Jair Bolsonaro after the end of the G20 summit.

Spanish law enforcement is now trying to establish the intended destination of the narcotics. The Brazilian Defense Ministry pledged to cooperate with the investigation.

The Brazilian president denounced the arrested person. "Although not related to my team, yesterday's episode in Spain is unacceptable," he tweeted, adding that an attempt to use government transport for drug trafficking was "disrespect to our country."

Comment: Should 'diplomatic privileges' not have covered this? It would be interesting to know what prompted them to check the plane.

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V

Study finds that 92% of left-wing activists in Berlin live with parents, one in three are unemployed

Dave Burke
Daily Mail
Tue, 07 Feb 2017 09:15 UTC
v for vendetta protest
© Getty Images
The vast majority of left-wing protesters arrested on suspicion of politically-fuelled offences in Berlin are young men who live with their parents, a new report found.

The figures, which were published in daily newspaper Bild revealed that 873 suspects were investigated by authorities between 2003 and 2013.

Of these 84% were men, and 72% were aged between 18 and 29.

Comment: These left-wing activists would do well to take responsibility for their lives, "clean their damn rooms" and focus on their immediate environments before trying to change any aspect of the world.


See also: New student radicals find violence more acceptable than those with non-college degrees

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TV

Google censors video exposing Google

Allum Bokhari
Breitbart
Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:01 UTC
Susan Wojcicki
© Kimberly White /Getty
Google-owned video platform YouTube took down a video from Project Veritas showing a senior employee at the company appearing to admit that the company plans to interfere in the next presidential election to stop Donald Trump.

The video, which is still available on the Project Veritas website featured undercover footage of a top Google employee, Jen Gennai, stating that the company shouldn't be broken up because only they can prevent the "next Trump situation."

Via the video:
Elizabeth Warren is saying we should break up Google. And like, I love her but she's very misguided, like that will not make it better it will make it worse, because all these smaller companies who don't have the same resources that we do will be charged with preventing the next Trump situation, it's like a small company cannot do that.

Comment: See also:

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People 2

'This is biology, not gender identity': IAAF submits response to Swiss court on Caster Semenya case


RT
Wed, 26 Jun 2019 10:54 UTC
Caster Semenya
© Global Look Press / Byline
Caster Semenya
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has submitted a response to the Swiss Federal Tribunal aiming to overturn its temporary ban on the decision obliging female athletes to reduce high testosterone levels.

On Tuesday, the athletics governing body filed its response to the court providing a detailed explanation of why testosterone restrictions are necessary in women's sports.
"The IAAF fully respects each individual's personal dignity and supports the social movement to have people accepted in society based on their chosen legal sex and/or gender identity," the IAAF said.

"However, it is also committed to female athletes having the same opportunities as male athletes to benefit from athletics, be that as elite female athletes participating in fair and meaningful competition, as young girls developing life and sport skills, or as administrators or officials."
The athletics body also emphasized that it pursues the goal of ensuring equal competition "where eligibility is based on biology and not on gender identity."

Comment: See also:

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Stock Up

Bitcoin hits a 17-month high as it skyrockets toward $13,000


RT
Thu, 27 Jun 2019 10:08 UTC
bitcoin
© Global Look Press / Klaus Ohlenschläger
The price of the world's most popular cryptocurrency hit a 17-month high on Wednesday, with bitcoin surging above $12,900. The digital currency is already up 40 percent this month.

Data from CoinMarketCap shows bitcoin has surpassed 60 percent market dominance for the first time since April 2017, with a capitalization of $226 billion. The cryptocurrency's year-to-year performance is up by more than 250 percent, according to Messari.io.

Ethereum, the second-biggest cryptocurrency, was up 5.5 percent on Wednesday, taking its gains to 150 percent for the year.
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Arrow Down

'Dozens' killed in fighting during foiled Ethiopia coup attempt

David Lewis & Dawit Endeshaw
Reuters
Thu, 27 Jun 2019 10:08 UTC
Major-General Gezayi Abera Ethiopia coup
© REUTERS
An unidentified son of deceased Major-General Gezayi Abera salutes his father’s flag-draped coffin during the funeral ceremony.
Dozens of people were killed in fighting during a foiled coup by a rogue state militia in Ethiopia's Amhara region at the weekend, the regional government spokesman said on Wednesday, the first official report of significant clashes.

The militia attacked the police headquarters, ruling party headquarters and president's office - where they executed three top officials - in Amhara's regional capital of Bahir Dar on Saturday, Asemahagh Aseres told Reuters on the sidelines of a state burial for the officials who were killed.

The militia was a recently formed unit of the region's security services. It had appealed for others to join its take-over were rebuffed, Asemahagh said.
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Heart - Black

'Obvious religious hatred': Muslim man in India forced to chant Hindu slogans then lynched, dies


Al Jazeera
Tue, 25 Jun 2019 00:00 UTC
Muslim man in India lynched

Police said the villagers accused Ansari of being a thief and beat him for nearly 12-hours
A 10-minute video shows dozens of men beating Tabrez Ansari in the latest suspected case of religious violence.

Indian police say they have arrested 11 people over the torture of a Muslim man who later died of his wounds, in the latest suspected lynching in the country by Hindu vigilantes.

A 10-minute video shows Tabrez Ansari, 24, being beaten by a group of men last week over accusations he had carried out a burglary in Kharsawan district, in Jharkhand state.

Tied to a pole, Ansari is also forced to shout "Jai Shri Ram" (Hail Lord Ram), a slogan increasingly used by Hindu far right groups, according to the footage, which has gone viral.

Kartik S, a local police chief, told the AFP news agency that two police officers have also been suspended over the handling of the lynching of Ansari.

The villagers beat Ansari for nearly 12 hours, police said, before he was taken into custody and then hospital. He died in hospital of his injuries on Saturday, four days after he was attacked.

Comment: The Twitterverse had a few things to say about the killing as well:





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Stock Down

Black markets show why socialists can't overturn economic laws

Allen Gindler
mises.org
Mon, 24 Jun 2019 15:00 UTC
Communism/Socialism
© Unknown
If we consider economics to be an objective science, its rules should also have universal significance and use, despite differences in societal order.

However, socialists of the materialist camp are committed to the idea that common ownership of the means of production would change the way economic laws unfold under socialism. Basically, they reject the notion of the universality and objectivity of economic rules by suggesting that the laws would change along with a change to the social formation.

Thus, communists adhered to the Marxian idea that socialism would rectify a "surplus value" law, end the "exploitation" of workers, and efficiently regulate the production, distribution, and consumption aspects of the economy. They sought to eliminate the market regulatory mechanism and replace it with directives of the central planning authority. Bolsheviks enthusiastically got down to business: they eradicated private property, collectivized everything and everyone, and implemented an official planned economy.

Did it effectively turn off market relations as they thought it would? No.

Comment: See also:

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Briefcase

US Congressman in federal court for abuse of campaign funds, falsification of records, wire fraud

Alex Dobuzinskis
Reuters
Tue, 25 Jun 2019 06:29 UTC
Duncan & Margaret Hunter
© Outside the Beltway
California Congressman Duncan Hunter & wife Margaret
A California congressman accused of misusing campaign funds spent some of the money on extramarital affairs, prosecutors said in court papers that indicated his wife could testify against him at trial.

A grand jury in August 2018 indicted U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, a Republican, on charges of prohibited use of campaign contributions, falsification of records, wire fraud and other criminal counts.

Hunter, who represents an inland area of San Diego County, and his wife, Margaret, are accused of spending beyond their means and taking more than $200,000 in campaign funds to pay for such expenses as private school tuition for their children, a holiday in Italy and restaurant meals that often cost hundreds of dollars.

The six-term congressman, who won re-election in November despite being under indictment, has pleaded not guilty and said prosecutors are politically biased against him.

Comment: See also:

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