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EU parliament poised to vote on key copyright bill

The European Parliament is furiously debating the pros and cons of a landmark copyright bill one last time before the legislature will vote on it later.

Tuesday's debate brings to an end three years of impassioned debate which has pitted the internet giants against creative writers and artists who want to see better protection of their rights and income.

The most controversial section would require companies such as YouTube and Facebook to take responsibility for copyrighted material that's uploaded to their platforms.

Opponents claim they could restrict freedom of speech, hamper online creativity and force websites to install filters.

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people marched in cities across Germany to protest the planned copyright reforms that they fear will lead to online censorship.

Source: Fox News World

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Florida girl, 8, dies after tree falls on home during strong storms; death toll rises to 4 across South

Strong storms that barreled across the South overnight Thursday claimed the life of an 8-year-old girl in northern Florida after a tree fell on her house, raising the death toll to 4.

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office said deputies received a call just after 8 a.m. Friday to report that a tree had gone through the house on Old Woodville Highway and had injured two residents.

Two children - an 8-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy - were transported to a local hospital with injuries. The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The sheriff’s office said the 12-year-old boy had injuries that were not life-threatening and was with his families.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this time,” the sheriff’s office said on Twitter.

The child was not immediately identified.

The strong storms that roared through Thursday night and into Friday morning killed two Mississippi drivers and a woman in Alabama. It left more than 100,000 people without power across the region.

NEW ORLEANS CHURCH HAS GOOD FRIDAY GAS GIVEAWAY, PRAYERS AT THE PUMP

A Mississippi man was killed Thursday afternoon when his car hit a tree on a highway south of Philadelphia, Mississippi, Neshoba County Coroner John Stephens told local news outlets. Stephens did not immediately release the man's name.

Kenderick Magee, 24, was also killed while driving in the storm, WLBT-TV reported. Magee fatally crashed near the rural town of Gillsburg in southwest Mississippi, Amite County Coroner Campbell Sharp said.

Fallen trees line the roads leading into the small community of Learned, Miss., Thursday, April 18, 2019. Several homes were damaged by fallen trees in the tree-lined community. Strong storms again roared across the South on Thursday, topping trees and leaving more than 100,000 people without power across Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. 

Fallen trees line the roads leading into the small community of Learned, Miss., Thursday, April 18, 2019. Several homes were damaged by fallen trees in the tree-lined community. Strong storms again roared across the South on Thursday, topping trees and leaving more than 100,000 people without power across Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.  (AP)

Alabama authorities said a woman was killed Thursday night after strong storms knocked a tree onto her mobile home in St Clair County.

Torrential downpours, large hail and a few tornadoes are among the hazards, the National Weather Service in Raleigh, North Carolina, warned about in its Friday morning hazardous weather outlook.

"An isolated strong and long-track tornado can't be ruled out," forecasters wrote.

KENTUCKY BBQ RESTAURANT SLAMMED FOR 'LGBTQ' SHIRTS DEEMED OFFENSIVE

Multiple tornado warnings were issued to parts of northeast Georgia on Friday, however, there were no immediate reports of any damage from those storms.

National Weather Service forecasters said they believe multiple tornadoes hit southwest and central Mississippi on Thursday, although they won't be sure until the damage is surveyed. Heavy winds also were reported in Louisiana earlier in the day and in central Alabama as the system quickly pushed eastward.

Sonya Banes looks at damage caused by a large oak tree that crashed through the ceiling of her mother's house in Learned, Miss., Thursday, April 18, 2019. 

Sonya Banes looks at damage caused by a large oak tree that crashed through the ceiling of her mother's house in Learned, Miss., Thursday, April 18, 2019.  (AP)

Damage was heavy in the Mississippi hamlet of Learned, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Jackson. Large oaks were uprooted from the saturated ground, landing on at least a dozen houses.

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The National Weather Service received numerous reports of hail pelting the storm-struck areas. Egg-size hail was reported about 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

The threat came days after more than 40 tornadoes from East Texas to Georgia left at least nine dead. That outbreak damaged more than 250 homes, businesses and public buildings across Mississippi.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Thousands gather for Anzac Day in Australia, New Zealand amid heightened security

A member of the 324 Squadron during the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Coogee Beach in Sydney
A member of the 324 Squadron during the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia, April 25, 2019. AAP Image/Steven Saphore/via REUTERS

April 25, 2019

WELLINGTON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Tens of thousands gathered in Australia and New Zealand at Anzac Day memorials on Thursday amid heightened security following the shooting massacre at Christchurch mosques and deadly suicide bombings of churches and hotels in Sri Lanka.

A Sri Lankan government minister says the bombings on Easter Sunday were retaliation for the Christchurch massacre on March 15, in which a lone gunman killed 50 Muslim worshippers at two mosques. New Zealand says it has no evidence of a link.

Turkish authorities arrested a suspected member of the Islamic State group they believe was planning to attack an Anzac Day commemoration at Gallipoli attended by hundreds of Australians and New Zealanders, Turkish police said on Wednesday.

Anzac Day commemorates the bloody battle on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during World War One. On April 25, 1915, thousands of troops from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) were among a larger Allied force that landed on the narrow beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula, an ill-fated campaign that would claim more than 130,000 lives.

While the Gallipoli campaign against the Turks failed, the landing date of April 25 has become a major day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand for their troops killed in all military conflicts.

Addressing thousands gathered for a dawn service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that, in the wake of the Christchurch massacre, Anzac Day 2019 should be an even greater uniting force.

“Let us recommit to always remembering our shared humanity that there is more that unites us than divides us,” Ardern said.

“Our sense of independence is as strong as our sense of responsibility to each other and not just as nation states but as human beings. That is part of the Anzac legacy,” she said.

Heavily armed police surrounded the function area and snipers were positioned on rooftops during the ceremony.

Britain’s Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, paid tribute at the Auckland War Memorial alongside Ardern. He will travel to Christchurch later on Thursday to honor the 50 victims of the shooting.

Heightened security saw about 1,000 police deployed across New Zealand at hundreds of locations and security concerns meant Anzac Day events in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, and elsewhere were scaled back.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed a dawn service in Townsville, Queensland, where he shared memories of his grandfather, who served in World War Two.

“Our heroes don’t just belong to the past, they live with us today,” Morrison said.

(Reporting by Praveen Menon in WELLINGTON and Will Ziebell in MELBOURNE; Editing by Michael Perry)

Source: OANN

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Vodafone expects mid-year EU approval on Liberty Global deal

FILE PHOTO: Coaxial TV Cable is seen in front of Vodafone and Liberty Global logos in this illustration
FILE PHOTO: Coaxial TV Cable is seen in front of Vodafone and Liberty Global logos in this illustration taken May 9, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

April 2, 2019

LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Vodafone still expects to secure EU antitrust approval for its $22 billion purchase of Liberty Global’s assets in Germany and eastern Europe by the middle of the year, it said on Tuesday.

The world’s second-largest mobile operator expressed its confidence after receiving the European Commission’s statement of objections, which set out the watchdog’s concerns about the deal.

Reuters reported on March 20 that the EU competition enforcer would warn the company about possible anti-competitive effects from the proposed deal. The Commission had previously voiced worries about the impact in Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.

“The Commission’s statement of objections is an expected part of the review process. We will review the statement and continue our constructive dialogue with the Commission,” Vodafone said in a statement.

“We still expect to receive final approval in the middle of this year.”

(Reporting by Paul Sandle in London and Foo Yun Chee in Brussels; Editing by David Goodman)

Source: OANN

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Florida man carrying huge rattlesnake stopped by police after scared locals issue complaints

A Florida community was rattled on Monday after spotting a homeless man traveling around downtown Jacksonville Beach with a large venomous snake in his arms.

Several locals reported the unusual — and admittedly frightening — sighting to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, who then sent several officers to the scene. Upon arrival, the police officers asked the man, who has not been named, to carefully place the reptile in the back of a patrol car as they awaited backup from wildlife officials.

“He says that he found it and God compelled him to keep him safe from traffic,” Jacksonville Beach Police Department Sgt. Larry Smith told WJAX, adding the man appeared to be doing some "show and tell" with the snake around the area.

'HUGE' RATTLESNAKE'S LOUD WARNING TO MISSISSIPPI MAN GOES VIRAL

He apparently told the group of officers he had found the snake on the side of the road earlier that day.

“All of a sudden I just saw police and he was just staring at him yelling ‘put the snake in the car’ and the guy just still had it wrapped around his head," Kaylie Leonard, who witnessed the ordeal, told WJAX.

Eventually, handlers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrived to remove the snake from the vehicle and relocate it to a nearby wooded area. No one was injured in the process.

"Well, meanwhile in Jacksonville Beach this morning.... 6, 7, or 8 feet? I'm not getting the tape measure out," the police department tweeted on Tuesday, estimating the critter's size. "Thank you to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for relocating our guest."

In a WTLV-TV report, a video shows an FWC officer pulling the snake from the patrol car's back seat. The rattles at the end of the snake's tail can be heard shaking as the officer drops the snake into a plastic container.

The snake was reportedly identified as an eastern diamondback — one of six venomous rattlesnakes found in the Sunshine State.

The eastern diamondback is the largest venomous snake in the U.S., reaching up to 8 feet in length as a mature adult. The snake typically keeps quiet and blends into its environment, only making noise or striking if it feels threatened.

SCARY NEW VENOMOUS SNAKE DISCOVERED

"The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is a large, impressive, and potentially dangerous snake. It can strike up to 2/3 its body length; a 6-foot individual may strike 4 feet. These factors, as well as others, make this a snake that should be simply left alone and not bothered," the Florida Museum warns on its website.

The man caught carrying the rattlesnake will not face any charges, according to multiple news outlets.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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“All Options Are Open”: Trump Threatens To Use The U.S. Military To Invade Venezuela

We are getting dangerously close to war with Venezuela. 

Last month, 35-year-old Juan Guaido declared himself to be the new president of Venezuela, and since that time 50 countries have recognized him as the legitimate leader of the country.  But Russia, China and much of the rest of the world still recognizes Nicolas Maduro, and Maduro is absolutely determined to remain in power.  The Venezuelan military appears to be fully backing Maduro, and that is going to make it extremely difficult to remove him.  On Monday, President Trump ramped up pressure on Maduro by telling the world that “all options are open” when it comes to regime change in Venezuela…

“We know who they are and we know where they keep the billions of dollars they have stolen,” Trump said, warning Venezuelan military officials who continue to back Maduro that they are “risking their future.”

“We seek a peaceful transition of power, but all options are open,” Trump said.

Those are very ominous words, and I want you to consider the implications of those words very carefully.

Of course the White House would gladly welcome a peaceful resolution that would remove Maduro from power, but that is very unlikely to happen.

So that means either Trump is going to have to back down and allow Maduro to stay in power, or else opt for a military option.

And as we have seen in the past, other nations may participate in a “coalition” to remove Maduro, but ultimately the heavy lifting would be done by the U.S. military.


The Deep State has become emboldened by the MSM covering up their traitorous acts. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes joins Owen in studio to discuss solutions for president Trump and the path to victory.

The Venezuelan military is no match for the U.S., but it is no pushover either.  It would take much more than dropping some bombs to get rid of Maduro and his government, and so what we are really talking about is a potential U.S. invasion of Venezuela.  It would be a horrible, bloody conflict, and even after the U.S. had secured the major cities, socialist forces would keep on fighting back for endless years to come.  That means that we would have to keep troops there indefinitely, and it would almost certainly become another quagmire like we witnessed in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

And for what?  Just so that we can put in a new puppet government that is slightly less socialist and that will play along better with the rest of the global establishment?

Also, if we invade Venezuela we could find ourselves in direct conflict with Russian forces, because they are already there

The arrival of 400 Russian military contractors after Mr. Trump’s Jan. 23 recognition of Mr. Guaido, the head of the National Assembly, triggered speculation that Moscow was reinforcing Mr. Maduro’s personal security or even preparing his evacuation.

But with Mr. Maduro defying calls to step down, the Russian mission may be more extensive than reported, said John Marulanda, a U.S.-trained intelligence officer and adviser to conservative Colombian President Ivan Duque, an opponent of Mr. Maduro. Mr. Marulanda said the recent Russian arrivals are special forces — Spetsnaz — who are being embedded among Venezuela’s elite military units to better resist any U.S. intervention or internal coup against Mr. Maduro.

Do we really want to go head to head with Russian special forces over the political future of Venezuela?

If we are going to ask young American men and women to shed their blood, it had better be for a really, really good reason, and not liking the socialist leader of Venezuela does not qualify.

In the short-term, the focus for the U.S. is going to be on trying to get “humanitarian aid” into Venezuela from neighboring Colombia and elsewhere.

During his speech, Trump admitted that U.S. Air Force cargo planes have been shuttling such aid into Colombia in recent days…

“Two days ago the first US Air Force C-17 landed in Colombia loaded with crucial assistance, including thousands of nutrition kits for little Venezuelan children,” Trump said. “Unfortunately dictator Maduro has blocked this life-saving aid from entering the country. He would rather see his people starve than give them aid.”

“Maduro is not a Venezuelan patriot, he is a Cuban puppet,” Trump added.

But of course the U.S. could have been offering humanitarian aid to Venezuela for many years.  Instead, our brutal sanctions have been crippling their economy and have greatly facilitated this crisis.  Starting on Saturday, a very strong push will be made to “peacefully” bring U.S. aid across the Venezuela border in an all-out effort to make Maduro look bad

The Trump administration and the Venezuelan opposition have staked their plans to weaken President Nicolás Maduro on a climactic moment only days away: On Saturday, they will try to break his blockade of the border with a delivery of food and medication.

The two have set Feb. 23 as the deadline for an ambitious land-and-sea campaign that would bring humanitarian supplies through Colombia, Brazil and the Caribbean and into the hands of thousands of Venezuelans who have suffered the greatest economic collapse the region has faced in generations.

It is exceedingly obvious that Nicolas Maduro is a horrible leader, and everyone knows that he is going to block any U.S. effort to bring anything across the border.

But this isn’t about trying to help the people of Venezuela.  In the end, this stunt is designed to provoke favorable media coverage that will help build public support for war.  During remarks to the press, John Bolton essentially admitted as much

If the Venezuelan military blocks the aid, Mr. Bolton said, the world would see Mr. Maduro’s “true colors,” Mr. Bolton said.

“We hope that the press will be there to see the Maduro loyalists stopping humanitarian assistance from going to the poor people of Venezuela,” Mr. Bolton said. “People want to know why the Venezuelan people are rising up. That act by Maduro would be proof beyond words.”

John Bolton has always been a neocon, and this is straight out of the neocon playbook.

Let us hope that when push comes to shove, President Trump will reject the advice of neocons like Bolton and will decide that invading Venezuela is not the right thing to do.

Unfortunately, there are many in Washington that would like to plunge the world into war, and it would not take much to set off an apocalyptic scenario.  Our world is already teetering on the brink, and it would not be too hard to push us over the edge.

For the moment, Venezuela’s “acting president” Juan Guaido is not formally requesting U.S. military intervention, but he is not ruling it out either

Venezuela’s self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido refused to rule out on Friday the possibility of authorizing United States intervention to help force President Nicolas Maduro from power and alleviate a humanitarian crisis.

National Assembly leader Guaido told AFP he would do “everything that is necessary… to save human lives,” acknowledging that US intervention is “a very controversial subject.”

After everything that has happened over the past couple of decades, you would think that the American people would be completely and utterly sick and tired of war by now.

There is always a very high price for intervening militarily in other countries, and the price for invading Venezuela would be very high indeed.

Source: InfoWars

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Stock futures slightly higher ahead of inflation data

Traders work on the floor at the post where Boeing is traded at the NYSE in New York
FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor at the post where Boeing is traded at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

March 12, 2019

By Amy Caren Daniel

(Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Tuesday, taking cues from global stocks which rose after last-minute tweaks to Britain’s deal to leave the European Union that eased some fears of a no-deal Brexit, and as investors waited for inflation data.

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said he agreed to an updated Brexit deal with British Prime Minister Theresa May to make the agreement more palatable to UK lawmakers but warned they would not get a third chance to endorse it.

The S&P 500 index has risen nearly 19 percent off its December lows, when markets were roiled by concerns of Sino-U.S. trade frictions, slowing economic growth and uncertainty about Brexit.

A reduced likelihood of crashing out of the EU with no Brexit deal helped inject some appetite for riskier assets, potentially eliminating one of the three major concerns of global investors.

British lawmakers who rejected May’s withdrawal agreement in January are due to vote on the Brexit deal again at around 3:00 p.m. ET (1900 GMT).

Boeing Co fell 2.1 percent, extending a fall from the previous session after many airlines grounded the company’s best-selling line of jets after a second fatal crash in just five months.

Boeing as well as Coca-Cola Co’s fall in pre-market trading pressured the Dow futures.

The world’s largest planemaker, which is the best performing Dow component this year by a wide margin, fell as much as 13.4 percent on Monday and weighed on the Dow Jones Industrial average.

However the blue-chip Dow pared losses, and all three indexes ended Monday higher boosted by a tech-led rally. Wall Street had posted five straight sessions of declines in the previous week, their biggest fall since 2018-end.

At 6:38 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 29 points, or 0.11 percent. S&P 500 e-minis were up 1.75 points, or 0.06 percent and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 12 points, or 0.17 percent.

Coca-Cola dipped 0.3 percent after HSBC downgraded the soda maker’s stock.

On the economic front, the Labor Department is expected to show that the seasonally adjusted consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.2 percent in February, after remaining unchanged for a third straight month in January.

Core CPI is seen increasing 2.2 percent year-on-year, unchanged from January. The report is due at 8:30 a.m. ET.

(Reporting by Amy Caren Daniel and Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

Source: OANN

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An employee looks up at goods at the Miniclipper Logistics warehouse in Leighton Buzzard
FILE PHOTO: An employee looks up at goods at the Miniclipper Logistics warehouse in Leighton Buzzard, Britain December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

April 26, 2019

LONDON, April 26 – British factories stockpiled raw materials and goods ahead of Brexit at the fastest pace since records began in the 1950s, and they were increasingly downbeat about their prospects, a survey showed on Friday.

The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) quarterly survey of the manufacturing industry showed expectations for export orders in the next three months fell to their lowest level since mid-2009, when Britain was reeling from the global financial crisis.

The record pace of stockpiling recorded by the CBI was mirrored by the closely-watched IHS Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index published earlier this month.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken)

Source: OANN

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Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner said Tuesday that a detailed plan for a merit-based immigration system will be presented to President Trump, giving priority to skilled immigrants rather than those with family ties to the U.S.

“I do believe that the president’s position on immigration has been maybe defined by his opponents by what he’s against as opposed to what he’s for,” Kushner said at the Time 100 Summit in New York City. “What I’ve done is I’ve tried to put together a very detailed proposal for him.”

KUSHNER: RUSSIA INVESTIGATION HAD ‘HARSHER IMPACT’ ON US THAN ELECTION MEDDLING

Kushner announced that the new immigration proposal, which Trump will receive this week or next, will resemble the point-based systems in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and will unify people by ensuring strong wages and secure borders while protecting humanitarian values.

“We want to protect our country’s humanitarian values. We want to make sure we’re reunifying families, and we want to do this in a way that allows our country to be competitive long term,” he said. “And my hope is we can really do something that unifies people around what we’re for on immigration.”

“We want to protect our country’s humanitarian values. We want to make sure we’re reunifying families, and we want to do this in a way that allows our country to be competitive long term. And my hope is we can really do something that unifies people around what we’re for on immigration.”

— Jared Kushner

JARED KUSHNER RESPONDS AFTER HASAN MINHAJ CALLS OUT HIS TIES TO SAUDI PRINCE

Kushner denied in the same talk that he has clashed with White House staffer Stephen Miller, who’s seen as tougher on immigration than others, adding that the plan was concocted with the help of Miller and Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

“And I say that If that if I can get Stephen Miller and Kevin Hassett to agree on an immigration plan, then Middle East peace will be easy by comparison,” Kushner joked, referring to the Israel-Palestine peace plan he’s working on.

“And I say that If that if I can get Stephen Miller and Kevin Hassett to agree on an immigration plan, then Middle East peace will be easy by comparison.”

— Jared Kushner

After the plan gets presented to Trump, it will likely undergo some changes and then he will decide when to proceed with it, Kushner said.

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“It’s very, very complicated, but it’s a very interesting issue, and if we can solve it, I do think it’s a critical component for America’s long-term competitive advantage,” he added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday said his government must make men aware of the dangers of poor hygiene after expressing dismay over the 1,000 penis amputations that apparently occur in his country each year.

“In Brazil, we have 1,000 penis amputations a year due to a lack of water and soap,” he said while speaking to reporters in Brasilia after visiting the Education Ministry. “We have to find a way to get out of the bottom of this hole.”

The far-right leader called the figure “ridiculous and sad,” Reuters reported. A spokeswoman for the Brazilian urology society told the news agency the number is based on its official data for penis amputations.

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The amputations were conducted out of necessity over untreated infections, along with complications from HIV and various cancers, she said.

Source: Fox News World

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A top Russian diplomat says Russia is willing to negotiate a new nuclear weapons treaty with the United States and China.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Friday Moscow is closely following reports in the United States that the U.S. would like to reach a nuclear weapons deal with both Russia and China, and is “willing” to negotiate. The story was reported by CNN earlier Friday.

Ryabkov also said that Russia “would like to convince” the U.S. to adopt a joint statement that would condemn any use of nuclear weapons.

Ryabkov’s comments come just months after the U.S. withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a cornerstone of the post-Cold War security, and Russia followed suit. Each claims breaches by the other.

Source: Fox News National

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Government dysfunction and an intelligence failure that preceded the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka are traced to simmering divisions between the president and prime minister after a weekslong political crisis that crippled the country last year.

The government has admitted to a “lapse of intelligence” after officials failed to act upon near-specific information received from foreign agencies. Suicide bombers exploded themselves last Sunday in three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 253 people and wounding 400 more. Authorities said eight Muslim militants blew themselves up at their targets while the wife of one of the attackers blasted herself on being rounded up by police.

The carnage has brought forth arguments that worshippers and holidaymakers fell victim to the rivalry and a lack of communication between the country’s two leaders — President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Cabinet led by Wickremesinghe says neither he nor his ministers were informed of the intelligence received by the defense authorities. Sirisena is the head of state, defense minister, minister in charge of the police and head of the armed forces. He also chairs the National Security Council, which includes the heads of security agencies and departments. Traditionally the prime minister also plays an important role on the council.

According to Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne, Sirisena has not included Wickremesinghe in national security affairs since a dispute between them came into the open in October last year. This is an unusual departure from the protocol, he said.

Senaratne said that Sirisena was overseas when the attacks took place and even after that, the National Security Council refused to meet with Wickremesinghe as he tried to give them instructions.

Sirisena has also said that he was not informed of the intelligence received and vowed to overhaul the leadership of the defense forces.

The top bureaucrat at the Defense Ministry, Hemasiri Fernando, has resigned at Sirisena’s insistence.

“It is a major factor,” said Jehan Perera, the head of local activist group National Peace Council, referring to the alleged lack of coordination between the leaders contributing to the failure to prevent the attacks.

“The primary responsibility has to be taken by the president, he did not give the information and he did not act,” Perera said. “He had the Ministry of Defense, took the police from the prime minister, chaired the National Security Council meetings and did nothing,” Perera said.

Kusal Perera, a journalist and political commentator, says security and intelligence officials should have acted on the information whether or not they received orders from politicians.

“If they (Wickremesinghe and his party) were not invited to the National Security Council, why did not they say in Parliament that they were not responsible for the security of the country any longer,” said Perera, who is not related to Jehan Perera.

“Saying that now is taking political advantage, not taking responsibility,” he said.

Sirisena and Wickremesinghe belong to different political parties but came together for Sirisena’s presidential campaign in 2015. Their relationships broke down and their differences exploded last year when Sirisena suddenly sacked Wickremesinghe as prime minister and appointed in his place former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom he defeated in the presidential election. The crisis crippled the country for more than seven weeks to the point of not being able to pass this year’s national budget on time.

A court decision compelled Sirisena to reappoint Wickremesinghe, but the two leaders have been rivals within the same government.

Rajapaksa, who is the minority leader in Parliament, blames the government for weakening intelligence and dropping its guard, which he had maintained to defeat the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels 10 years ago to end the 26-year-old civil war. He also criticized the government for the detention of intelligence officers accused of extrajudicial killings and abductions during the closing days of the war, which he said crippled the security apparatus before the bombings. According to conservative U.N estimates, some 100,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka’s conflict.

Sirisena summoned an all-party conference Thursday to which Wickremesinghe was also invited. At the conference, Sirisena stressed “setting aside all the political beliefs and difference (so that) everybody should collectively commit towards building a peaceful environment within the country,” a statement from his office said.

“It is not a secret that the disagreements between me and the government aggravated over the past two years,” Sirisena told the country’s media executives Friday. “One of the reasons for that is weakening of military intelligence and arresting military officials unnecessarily and my speaking up against it within and outside the government.”

Jehan Perera said that the security threat could prove politically advantageous to Rajapaksa and his family, with a presidential election scheduled at the end of this year. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a younger brother of Mahinda, was the powerful defense secretary during his brother’s reign and has expressed his interest to join the contest.

“People are saying we want a stronger leader and they are talking about Gotabhaya. It (the blasts) has worked to their benefit,” Perera said.

Source: Fox News World

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