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Denmark's richest man loses three children in Sri Lanka bombings - UPDATES


RT
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 09:42 UTC
Anders Holch Povlsen Anne Holch Povlsen
© AFP / Tariq Mikkel Khan / Ritzau Scanpix
Bestseller-owner Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife Anne Holch Povlsen
Fashion tycoon Anders Holch Povlsen lost three of his four children in the Sri Lanka terrorist attacks on Sunday. The family was visiting the country over the Easter holiday.

"Unfortunately, we can confirm the news is true," Jesper Stubkier, spokesman for Povlsen's fashion firm Bestseller, told Danish news agency Ritzau.

"We ask that you please respect the family's privacy and we therefore have no further comment," he said, declining to identify the children.

Comment: The US State Department has asked Americans to exercise 'extreme caution' when visiting Sri Lanka, since they are apparently aware of more terrorist plots. RT reports more:
Terrorists in Sri Lanka might strike again, the US State Department has warned in its latest travel advisory update, asking Americans to exercise extreme caution following the Easter Sunday bombings which killed almost 300 people.

"Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations," the State Department said.

Possible terrorist targets may also include crowded places such as transportation hubs, markets and shopping malls, in addition to hotels, clubs, restaurants and places of worship. Americans in the country are also being asked to stay clear of parks, major sporting and cultural events.
Unsurprisingly, Sri Lanka's Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Rajitha Senaratne has warned that an 'international group' was behind the attacks, saying that "We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country."

Meanwhile police have also found close to 90 bomb detonators at a bus station in Colombo:
Sri Lankan police found 87 bomb detonators at the bus station in the nation's largest city, following horrific bombings which killed 290 people on Easter Sunday.

The detonators were discovered on Monday at a private bus stand located in the Pettah neighborhood of Colombo, police said. The officers initially found just a dozen devices, but later retrieved 75 more while clearing the garbage heap.

Police launched an investigation into the incident. It is unclear whether the devices had anything to do with the multiple coordinated bombings which took place on Easter Sunday.
Police also reportedly initiated a 'controlled explosion' on a van in the same city, near St. Anthony's Catholic Church. Fortunately, locals report that there were no casualties:


In the wake of these horrific attacks the Indian coast guard has been put on high alert to prevent any terrorists from fleeing by sea. RT reports:
New Delhi has beefed up security and surveillance along its maritime borders, reportedly to catch any terrorists fleeing to India from neighboring Sri Lanka, where 290 people were killed in the series of attacks on Easter Sunday.

Security has been enhanced in and around naval bases "as a precautionary measure" against the "backdrop" of the attacks in Sri Lanka, a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said on Monday, adding that surveillance of the area had also been increased.

Indian media earlier wrote that warships and spy planes were deployed along the nation's maritime border. According to reports, the measures are intended to prevent the organizers of the deadly suicide bombings from fleeing to India by sea.

The coast guard was also tasked with thwarting scenarios, similar to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, when armed jihadists stormed several high-end hotels and shopping malls, among other targets.
Also see:

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Eye 1

How fascism comes to America

Doug Casey
International Man
Fri, 19 Apr 2019 06:48 UTC
white house
I think there are really only two good reasons for having a significant amount of money: To maintain a high standard of living and to ensure your personal freedom. There are other, lesser reasons, of course, including: to prove you can do it, to compensate for failings in other things, to impress others, to leave a legacy, to help perpetuate your genes, or maybe because you just can't think of something better to do with your time.

But I'll put aside those lesser motives, which I tend to view as psychological foibles. Basically, money gives you the freedom to do what you'd like - and when, how, and with whom you prefer to do it. Money allows you to have things and do things and can even assist you to be something you want to be. Unfortunately, money is a chimera in today's world and will wind up savaging billions in the years to come.

As you know, I believe we're well into what I call The Greater Depression. A lot of people believe we're in a recovery now; I think, from a long-term point of view, that is total nonsense. We're just in the eye of the hurricane and will soon be moving into the other side of the storm. But it will be far more severe than what we saw in 2008 and 2009 and will last quite a while - perhaps for many years, depending on how stupidly the government acts.

Comment: See also:

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Cardboard Box

Leader of militia on US border allegedly said group trained to assassinate Soros, Clinton, Obama - lawyer says it's categorically false

Daniella Silva
NBC News
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 16:00 UTC
Larry Mitchell Hopkins
© Paul Ratje / AFP / Getty Images file
Hopkins, also known as 'Striker,' the leader of the Constitutional Patriots militia, speaks with Viper, right, about logistics in Anapra, New Mexico, on March 20.
Larry Mitchell Hopkins has been described as the "commander" of the United Constitutional Patriots detaining migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

A leader of a New Mexico militia that has been detaining migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border said the group was "training to assassinate George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama," according to an FBI agent's sworn deposition describing reports phoned into the agency's public tip line.

Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 69, who was arrested Saturday on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, made an initial appearance in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Monday.

Hopkins remains in custody pending a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing April 29 in Albuquerque, according to the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office.

Hopkins, who also goes by the alias Johnny Horton Jr., has been described as the "commander" of the United Constitutional Patriots, a militia group that has recently been detaining asylum-seeking families at the southern border, drawing outcry from local politicians and activists.


Comment: US border militia stops three HUNDRED crossing migrants in SINGLE intervention - Feds respond by arresting leader and 'de-banking' group

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Cross

Twitterati pounce on MSNBC for sending reporter to pester Mueller near church on Easter Sunday


RT
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 09:22 UTC
Mueller ambushed MSNBC
© MSNBC
Russiagate-obsessed news network MSNBC sent one of its journalists to talk to the one person in a position to feed the dying hopes that the now-public Mueller report still holds the key to ousting President Donald Trump.

MSNBC's Mike Viqueira ambushed Robert Mueller as he and his wife were leaving St. John's Episcopal Church in downtown Washington after an Easter service. In what he probably believed to be an act of adversarial journalism, Viqueira pelted the special counsel with questions to which every Russiagater hopes to hear the right answers.

Comment: See also:

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Arrow Up

German companies view Russia as a 'huge opportunity' in spite of sanctions


RT
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 18:04 UTC
Juergen Koenig
© RT/RT Deutsch
Juergen Koenig
German businesses has always viewed Russia as a lucrative market and they believe now is a good time to invest in the country despite international tensions, the president of the Russian branch of Merck told RT.

German investment in the Russian economy hit a record high in 2018, reaching $3.6 billion. Merck Russia is a branch of the German multinational pharmaceutical, chemical and life sciences company. Juergen Koenig, its president and general director, believes the increase in investment is another indication of a lucrative partnership that has historically existed between the German and Russian businesses.

RT: What has triggered such record-breaking German investment in Russia?

Juergen Koenig: We should understand that commercial relations between Germany and Russia didn't start yesterday. There is a long history in culture and businesses bringing the two countries together. One classic example is Merck, a science and technology company, which just celebrated the 120th anniversary of its operations in Russia.

To Merck, Russia is not just one more market. Russia has a population of 140 million inhabitants. Apart from Russia, there are other Eurasian countries. In total, around 280 million people live in Eurasia. Now, if we consider the existing development plan for Russia and some other close countries, we can conclude that there is a huge opportunity.
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Che Guevara

Former diplomat and friend of Julian Assange says he was put through 'hell' at embassy after Moreno election

Lisa Holland
Sky News
Sat, 20 Apr 2019 17:59 UTC
assange embassy staff

Julian Assange with the Ecuadorian embassy staff
Julian Assange was always respectful but went through "hell" in the Ecuadorian embassy as officials tried to "break him down", according to a former senior diplomat.

Fidel Narvaez worked at the London embassy for six of the seven years the WikiLeaks figurehead lived there and says they became friends.

Assange was evicted a few weeks ago after a change of government in Ecuador.

Its new president, Lenin Moreno, publicly criticised the whistleblower and gave the impression the government ended his stay after growing tired of his alleged bad behaviour.

Comment:

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Newspaper

Indian General Elections 2019: Money, Social Media and Nationalism

P. Rao
Sott.net
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 00:00 UTC
Indian General elections 2019 schedule
The world's largest democracy will hold parliamentary elections this month. The elections are conducted in 7 stages from April 11 to May 23rd. Phase 1 of the elections were completed on April 11th. 900 million people are eligible to vote, including 84 million first-time voters, in 1 million polling booths supervised by 11 million personnel for 543 parliamentary seats. 130 parties fielded more than 8000 candidates. Incumbent Prime minister Narendra Modi is expecting to retain his position, while opposition party (Congress lead UPA) that won 10 times out of the last 15 Lok Sabha elections (since independence) is hoping to reverse their abysmal 2014 performance. A record amount of money ($US 7 to 9 billion) is expected to be spent on this years election making it costlier than last US presidential election.

While the Ruling Hindu nationalist BJP coalition (NDA) hopes to showcase Modi's reforms during the last 5 years and highlight his tough stance on national security, the opposition parties are trying to take advantage of weak unemployment figures, anti-incumbency trends and attempt to cast Modi as corrupt with slogans like 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' (watchman is a thief) which is a reverse of the rhetoric Modi used to portray himself as a "Chowkidar" (a watchman or gatekeeper). Like a Bollywood movie, Indian elections contain a lot of emotion, pomp, drama, music and color.
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Fire

Jewish group vehemently denounces Polish ritual of beating and burning long-nosed effigy of 'Judas'


RT
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 11:23 UTC
Poles beating Jews in effigy
© Screenshot from a ekspresjaroslawski.pl video.
The World Jewish Congress has condemned as anti-Semitic a tradition upheld by a small Polish town, which involves beating and burning an effigy of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus Christ.

A video showing this year's celebration of a dubious local tradition in Poland was published by a local news website ekspresjaroslawski.pl and drew international attention. The World Jewish Congress has condemned it in a statement on Sunday.

"Jews are deeply disturbed by this ghastly revival of medieval anti-Semitism that led to unimaginable violence and suffering," CEO Robert Singer said. "We can only hope that the Church and other institutions will do their best to overcome these frightful prejudices which are a blot on Poland's good name."


Comment: While it does absolutely no one good to keep the the broad brush of racism in sway, and the fires of irrational anger lit, the traditions mentioned in the above article may very well have their roots in a history of oppression that many seem largely, willfully, ignorant of.

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Fire

Exploding Teslas: Carmaker to investigate video showing parked Model S exploding in Shanghai

Brenda Goh, Yilei Sun
Reuters
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 13:19 UTC
Exploding Tesla Shanghai

The video, time stamped Sunday evening and widely shared on China’s Twitter-like Weibo, shows the parked EV emit smoke and burst into flames seconds later. A video purportedly of the aftermath showed a line of three cars completely destroyed.
U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla Inc said it has sent a team to investigate a video on Chinese social media which showed a parked Tesla Model S car exploding, the latest in a string of fire incidents involving its cars.

The video, time stamped Sunday evening and widely shared on China's Twitter-like Weibo, shows the parked EV emit smoke and burst into flames seconds later. A video purportedly of the aftermath showed a line of three cars completely destroyed.

Shares of Tesla were down less than 2 percent at $268.5 in trading before the bell.

Reuters was not immediately able to verify the origins of the videos, which Weibo users said were taken in Shanghai.

The cause of the explosion could not be immediately ascertained from the videos.

"We immediately sent a team onsite and we're supporting local authorities to establish the facts. From what we know now, no one was harmed," Tesla said in a statement on Monday.

It declined comment further when contacted by Reuters.

There have been at least 14 instances of Tesla cars catching fire since 2013, with the majority occurring after a crash.


Comment: Deaths of Florida students in fiery Tesla electric car crash prompts investigation by federal agency


Comment: The above referenced video (beginning at approximately 1:17):



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Pocket Knife

Transit worker stabbed on subway platform in New York City following random altercation

Julia Jacobo
ABC News
Sun, 21 Apr 2019 05:28 UTC
Transit worker
A New York City transit worker is recovering after he was stabbed on a subway platform on Easter Sunday following an altercation.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority conductor was sitting on a bench at the southbound platform for No. 2, 4 and 5 trains at 149th Street and Grand Concourse in the Bronx when the suspect randomly approached him and slapped him in the face, MTA worker Tina Smith told ABC New York station WABC.

The pair then engaged in a physical fight, and the suspect stabbed the MTA worker several times in the shoulder and torso, WABC reported. The 33-year-old conductor was able to hold the suspect, identified as 20-year-old Walter Rivera, down until police arrived and took him into custody.

Rivera was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon, according to WABC.
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