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UK government Brexit talks with Labour cannot be open ended: PM May’s spokesman

Funeral of journalist Lyra McKee in Belfast
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May attends the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland April 24, 2019. Charles McQuillan/Pool via REUTERS

April 24, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – British government talks with the opposition Labour Party on finding a Brexit compromise cannot be open ended, Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said on Wednesday.

The spokesman said working groups from both sides were pressing on with the talks this week, including a meeting to discuss financial services on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, writing by William James)

Source: OANN

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Barr hammered for stating ‘spying did occur,’ despite confirmation of Trump team surveillance

Attorney General Bill Barr ran into a buzz saw of criticism from Democratic lawmakers and media figures for testifying Wednesday that “spying did occur” against the Trump campaign in 2016. But despite the backlash, Barr appeared to be referring to intelligence collection that already has been widely reported and confirmed.

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page are currently the subject of a Justice Department inspector general investigation looking at potential misconduct in the issuance of those warrants. That review also is reportedly reviewing the role of an FBI informant who had contacts with Trump advisers in the early stages of the Russia investigation.

DEMS RAGE AGAINST BARR FOR BACKING CLAIMS OF TRUMP CAMPAIGN 'SPYING' BY FBI 

When asked about the controversy surrounding Barr’s remarks, a person familiar with his thinking denied that he was trying to fuel conspiracy theories or play to the conservative base.

“When he used the word spying, he means intelligence collecting,” the source told Fox News, also noting Barr’s history as a CIA analyst in the 1970s. “He wasn’t using it in a pejorative sense, he was using it in the classic sense.”

The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘spying’ as: “to collect information about something to use in deciding how to act,” or to “observe furtively.”

The use of the term as it applies to the FBI's surveillance in 2016 has been fiercely disputed. The New York Times, even as it reported last year on how the FBI sent an informant to speak to campaign advisers amid concerns about suspicious Russia contacts, stated that this was to "investigate" Russia ties and "not to spy."

But Barr's testimony suggests he makes no distinction between the two. He also stressed that the question for him is whether that "spying" was justified.

“I think spying did occur. The question is whether it was adequately predicated,” Barr testified Wednesday, adding that he believed it is his “obligation” to review whether there was misconduct in the original investigation. “Congress is usually very concerned with intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies staying in their proper lane.”

He added that “spying on a political campaign is a big deal.”

Democrats, though, charged that this week's testimony indicated Barr was a compromised witness.

“He is acting as an employee of the president,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said. “I believe the Attorney General believes he needs to protect the president of the United States.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told the Associated Press that she doesn’t “trust Barr,” but she trusts Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., later accused Barr of “peddling conspiracy theories.”

BARR REVEALS HE IS REVIEWING 'CONDUCT' OF FBI'S ORIGINAL RUSSIA PROBE

Media figures and outlets also panned Barr's use of the term, with some declaring he had provided no evidence for it.

NBC News’ Chuck Todd accused the attorney general of giving credence to a “conspiracy theory.”

“Using the word spying,” the “Meet the Press” moderator said, “plays into the president’s language and argument that the Russia investigation to him is just a witch hunt, and every time they’ve brought up this allegation, there has been zero factual basis for it. Every effort to perpetrate the spying conspiracy theory has been debunked.”

Conservatives in the media sphere pushed back. The Federalist's Mollie Hemingway tweeted, "There is no dispute about whether spying occurred. There has not yet been a proper investigation about whether that spying--which included human informants, wiretaps, national security letters, etc.--can be justified."

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., also said Barr “should not casually suggest that those under his purview engaged in ‘spying’ on a political campaign.”

“This type of partisan talking point may please Donald Trump, who rails against a ‘deep state coup,’” Schiff said. “But it also strikes another destructive blow to our democratic institutions. The hardworking men and women at the DOJ and FBI deserve better.”

But Barr did not criticize the Justice Department or the FBI as a whole, instead noting he was looking at the “upper echelons” of leadership at the bureau at the time as he confirmed he was reviewing the “conduct of the investigation” that began in the summer of 2016.

“Frankly, to the extent there were issues at the FBI, I do not view it as a problem of the FBI. I think it was probably a failure of the group of leaders—the upper echelons of the FBI. I think the FBI is an outstanding organization and I am very pleased Director Chris Wray is there,” he said.

Barr was again asked about his claim of “spying” during the Senate hearing Wednesday, with Democrat Brian Schatz asking for Barr to be more “precise” in his wording.

“I want to make sure there was no unauthorized surveillance,” Barr responded.

Whether proper or improper, the issue of surveillance of the Trump campaign has been widely documented.

The FISA warrants, for example, were the subject of a GOP House Intelligence Committee memo last year. That memo alleged the unverified anti-Trump dossier provided much of the basis for law enforcement officials to repeatedly secure FISA warrants against Page, though Democrats have pushed back on parts of the GOP report.

COMEY MEMOS CONTAINED FAR MORE SENSITIVE INFO THAN PREVIOUSLY KNOWN, FBI FILING REVEALS

Meanwhile, as part of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s investigation, he is reportedly probing the involvement of FBI informant Stefan Halper—whose role first emerged last year.

Halper, an American professor who reportedly is connected with British and American intelligence agencies, has been widely reported as a confidential source during the FBI's original investigation. That official counterintelligence operation was opened by then-senior agent Peter Strzok, who has since been fired from the bureau.

During the 2016 campaign, Halper reportedly contacted several members of the Trump campaign, including former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos and Page. Halper also reportedly contacted former campaign aide Sam Clovis.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign was a clear focus of the FBI’s 2016 counterintelligence investigation looking at suspicious Russia contacts.

Former FBI Director James Comey testified that when the agency initiated its counterintelligence probe into possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government, investigators "didn't know whether we had anything" and that "in fact, when I was fired as director [in May 2017], I still didn't know whether there was anything to it."

Fox News’ Jake Gibson, Gregg Re, Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Flash floods in southern Iran kill at least 11, injure 15

Iranian state TV is reporting that flash floods have killed at least 11 people and injured 15 in the country's south.

Monday's report quotes the head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, as saying the sudden flooding was triggered by heavy rains outside of the city of Shiraz.

State TV said the provinces of Fars, Kurdistan, Qom and Isfahan are also on alert for imminent flooding.

The northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran have been struggling with flooding for over a week, and two people have been killed.

Iran's metrology department had warned about the heavy rains in various areas across Iran.

Last year, at least 30 people were killed by flash floods in the Iranian province of Eastern Azarbaijan.

Source: Fox News World

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MLB roundup: Astros continue power surge

MLB: Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners
Apr 12, 2019; Seattle, WA, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) hits a grand slam against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

April 13, 2019

Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel hit grand slams as the Houston Astros defeated the host Seattle Mariners 10-6 Friday night.

It was the fourth consecutive game in which Altuve has gone deep, and he has five home runs over that span.

George Springer also homered for the Astros, who extended their winning streak to seven games. The Mariners had their six-game winning streak snapped.

Tom Murphy hit a solo homer in the ninth inning to extend the Mariners’ major league record of consecutive games with a home run to start a season to 16.

Mets 6, Braves 2

Brandon Nimmo belted a two-run homer to highlight his three-hit performance as visiting New York won at Atlanta. The Mets matched a franchise record by scoring at least six runs in their sixth straight game.

Jeff McNeil ripped a two-run double and Robinson Cano and Michael Conforto each had an RBI double for the Mets, who also scored at least six runs in six straight games in 1997, 1998 and twice in 2007.

Georgia native Zack Wheeler (1-1) allowed two runs on six hits and struck out eight to improve to 6-3 in 11 career starts versus the Braves.

Red Sox 6, Orioles 4

Eduardo Rodriguez became the first Red Sox starter to win a game this season as Boston held off visiting Baltimore in the opener of a four-game series.

Rodriguez, who entered the seventh having allowed just one hit, gave up a two-run home run to Dwight Smith Jr. with two outs in the inning, ending his night. He yielded the two runs on three hits, striking out eight and walking none. Entering the game, Boston starters had been 0-8 with a league-worst 8.79 ERA this year.

The Orioles dropped their fourth straight game and have lost eight of their past nine following a 4-1 start.

Phillies 9, Marlins 1

Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer as Philadelphia routed host Miami. Jean Segura also had three hits, and J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper each had two hits and one RBI as the Phillies snapped a two-game losing streak.

This was Realmuto’s first game against the Marlins, the team that drafted him. Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro — who arrived from the Phillies in the Realmuto trade this spring — went 2-for-3 with a run.

Jake Arrieta (2-1) struck out eight batters in seven innings to earn the win. He allowed five hits, one walk and one run.

Pirates 6, Nationals 3 (10 innings)

Pinch hitter Colin Moran hit a three-run homer in the top of the 10th off Justin Miller on an 0-2 pitch as Pittsburgh prevailed in a back-and-forth contest with Washington.

Miller has now allowed four homers this year in seven outings. Moran was batting for Jung Ho Kang after Melky Cabrera and Adam Frazier got on base against Matt Grace (0-1).

The winner was Nick Burdi (1-1), who allowed a double by Howie Kendrick in the ninth but didn’t give up a run. Former Nationals pitcher Felipe Vazquez pitched the last of the 10th for the Pirates to earn his fourth save of the season.

Rays 11, Jays 7

Austin Meadows and Brandon Lowe each homered twice — including one each into the 500 level — and visiting Tampa Bay defeated Toronto.

The blasts were the 21st and 22nd home runs hit to the 500 level of Rogers Centre since it opened in 1989. Willy Adames added a two-run homer for the Rays.

Luke Maile homered for the Blue Jays, who rallied from an 8-0 deficit to draw within one run before the Rays scored three in the ninth.

Athletics 8, Rangers 6

Khris Davis continued his slugging ways with an eighth-inning solo homer that completed visiting Oakland’s rally from a five-run deficit for a win in Arlington, Texas.

It was Davis’ fifth home run in his last three games and his 10th of the season. His grounder to third base in the sixth inning scored Mark Canha as part of a four-run rally that included an RBI double from Stephen Piscotty that shrunk a 6-1 Rangers lead to 6-5.

In his first game against his former team, A’s second baseman Jurickson Profar had two hits, drove in Oakland’s first run and scored the A’s final run, an insurance run in the ninth.

Padres 2, Diamondbacks 1

Four San Diego pitchers retired the final 19 batters, Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled home the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, and the Padres beat Arizona in Phoenix.

Padres rookie Chris Paddack allowed three hits and one run in 5 1/3 innings. He was pulled after 88 pitches despite retiring eight consecutive batters following an RBI single by David Peralta in the third inning. Paddack struck out five and walked one in outdueling Arizona’s Luke Weaver (0-1).

Gerardo Reyes, called up from Triple-A El Paso earlier Friday, retired both batters he faced to end the sixth inning and get a win in his major league debut. Adam Warren worked two perfect innings before giving way to Kirby Yates, who earned his eighth save.

Royals 8, Indians 1

Kansas City hit for the cycle its first time through the order and grabbed its biggest lead of the season in a six-run first inning en route to a victory over visiting Cleveland. The Royals snapped a 10-game losing streak.

Brad Keller (2-1) gave up one run on three hits and five walks over 6 2/3 innings, with a career-high 10 strikeouts. He has now pitched at least six innings in nine straight starts, the longest active streak in the majors.

Alex Gordon had four hits, including three extra-base hits, and three RBIs for the Royals.

White Sox 9, Yankees 6 (7 innings)

Eloy Jimenez snapped a tie with his first career home run, a two-run shot in the fifth inning, then homered in his next at-bat in the seventh as Chicago halted a five-game losing streak with a rain-shortened victory over host New York.

In his 46th career at-bat, the rookie left fielder gave the White Sox a 7-5 lead by leaving no doubt about his milestone. Jimenez slugged a 2-1 four-seam fastball by Jonathan Holder over the center field fence and on to the netting above Monument Park.

The game was halted after a delay in the top of the seventh inning.

Brewers 8, Dodgers 5

Yasmani Grandal had three hits, including a two-run home run that gave visiting Milwaukee the lead for good against Los Angeles.

Hernan Perez also hit a two-run homer for the Brewers to erase an early one-run deficit in the opener of the three-game series. Matt Albers (1-0) got the win in relief.

The Dodgers received home runs from Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson.

Cubs 5, Angels 1

Willson Contreras had three hits, including two solo home runs, and Chicago won the opener of the three-game series against visiting Los Angeles, which had its six-game winning streak halted.

Cole Hamels (2-0) gave up one run and four hits over eight innings, striking out six without walking a batter. Hamels improved to 5-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.63 in his career against the Angels.

Anthony Rizzo and David Bote also homered for the Cubs, who have won two straight for the first time this season.

Tigers at Twins, ppd

The game between Minnesota and Detroit at Target Field was postponed due to a snow storm. The contest will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on May 11.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Asia shares, bonds buoyed as Fed seen dovish

FILE PHOTO : A man looks at an electronic stock quotation board showing Japan's Nikkei average outside a brokerage in Tokyo
FILE PHOTO : A man looks at an electronic stock quotation board showing Japan's Nikkei average outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, November 13, 2018. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo

March 18, 2019

By Wayne Cole

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian share markets crept ahead on Monday while bonds were in demand globally on speculation the U.S. Federal Reserve will sound decidedly dovish at its policy meeting this week.

Japan’s Nikkei led the way with a rise of 0.7 percent, and MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1 percent.

E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 were just a fraction lower. The S&P 500 boasted its best weekly gain since the end of November last week, while the Nasdaq had its best week so far this year.

There is much talk Fed policymakers will lower their interest rate forecasts, or “dot plots”, to show little or no further tightening this year.

Also expected is more detail on a plan to stop culling the Fed’s holdings of nearly $3.8 trillion in bonds. The two-day meeting ends with a news conference on Wednesday.

As a result, yields on three and five-year Treasuries are dead in line with the effective Fed funds rate, while futures imply a better-than-even chance of a rate cut by year end.

“Long-term bond yields remain noticeably lower across a wide range of countries,” said Alan Oster, group chief economist at National Australia Bank.

“Markets are pricing in little or no chance of a rate hike by the major central banks this year, outside of the Bank of England. The Fed is indicating that it will be patient and we don’t expect any rate hikes this year.”

Data on Friday showed U.S. manufacturing output fell for a second straight month in February and factory activity in New York state hit nearly a two-year low this month, offering further evidence of a sharp slowdown in economic growth early in the first quarter.

A marked decline in Treasury yields has dragged on the dollar, leaving it at 111.55 yen from a top of 111.89 on Friday. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar was pinned at 96.583 having shed 0.7 percent last week.

The euro was holding at $1.1321, well up from the recent trough of $1.1174 which was hit when the European Central Bank took a dovish turn of its own.

Sterling was steady at $1.3292 as markets await some clarity on where the Brexit drama was heading.

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is scrambling to get support in parliament for her Brexit deal.

May has only three days to win approval for her deal to leave the European Union if she wants to go to a summit with the bloc’s leaders on Thursday with something to offer them in return for more time.

In commodity markets, spot gold was supported by the widespread decline in bond yields and stood at $1,300.35 per ounce.

Oil prices were near their highest for the year so far. U.S. crude was last off 6 cents at $58.46 a barrel, while Brent crude futures added 2 cents to $67.18.

(Editing by Kim Coghill)

Source: OANN

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Malaysia climber at hospital after 2 days alone on Annapurna

A Malaysian mountain climber was being treated in a hospital in Nepal's capital Friday after being stranded nearly two days alone near the summit of Annapurna.

A helicopter crew searching for the missing climber on Thursday spotted Wui Kin Chin waving his hands at them, and rescuers brought him down to a lower camp.

At the time of his rescue, Chin had been without an oxygen bottle, food and water for over 40 hours, said Mingma Sherpa, the head of Seven Summit Treks, which arranged his expedition.

Chin was flown to the capital, Kathmandu, on Friday and taken to a hospital, where his wife joined him.

Chin is an anesthesiologist and accomplished climber, and Sherpa credited Chin's medical knowledge and familiarity with mountains for keeping him alive.

"It's a big thing to stay alive in that altitude without food, water, and oxygen," Sherpa said. He described Chin on Thursday as fine but not in condition to walk.

Chin was a part of a 13-member expedition led by a French climber and was separated from the others during the descent.

The 8,091-meter (26,545-foot) Mount Annapurna is the ninth tallest mountain in Nepal and the 10th tallest in the world. It's considered an especially treacherous mountain due to its difficult terrain and weather conditions.

Source: Fox News World

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Settlements for a still-possible summit in between President Trump and Kim Jong Un UNDERWAY

Negotiations for a still-possible summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un UNDERWAY   Previously MagaFirstNews Reported that Trump called off the summit earlier this month following increasingly harsh rhetoric from North Korea. In reaction, The Treasury Department had come up with new sanctions to levy on almost three dozen targets, including Chinese and Russian entities, […]

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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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Cyprus police are intensifying a search for the remains of more victims at locations where an army officer, who authorities say admitted to killing five women and two girls, allegedly had dumped their bodies.

Police said Friday’s search will concentrate on a military firing range, a reservoir and a man-made lake near an abandoned mine approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital Nicosia.

On Thursday, the 35-year-old suspect told investigators that he had killed four more people than he had previously admitted to. All the suspect’s alleged victims are foreign nationals.

Police have already found the bodies of a 38-year-old Filipino woman and two as yet unidentified women.

Search crews are now looking for the daughter of the 38-year-old, a Romanian mother and daughter and another Filipino woman.

Source: Fox News World

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